Family Struggles
by snpro2000
Summary: Sarada and Boruto have just been made Genin. So everything is awesome, right? Wrong. Boruto feels like Naruto never acknowledges him and he wants to change that. Sasuke is always traveling and doesn't spend much time with his family. Once Sarada finds out about some events of the past, she has something to say to her father. (Post 700)
1. Crappy Dads

**Author's Note:** I don't plan on this story following Naruto Gaiden much. In fact, I wrote this chapter before it came out. It's my version of what happened after 700. It slightly follows the Boruto movie. I'm just going to make it my own thing though. Enjoy!

* * *

Uchiha Sarada concentrated all of her attention on smashing the boulder in front of her after she shifted her glasses. Her mother and her best friend, Uzumaki Boruto, watched from the side.

"C'mon Sarada, smash it to bits!" Boruto shouted.

Focusing her chakra to her hand like her mother had taught her, Sarada ran at full speed towards the boulder. Then, as soon as she reached it, she let her hand fly into the large rock without resistance. A crunching sound was heard and she opened her eyes with a huff of disappointment. It had only cracked, like always. She let her back rest against the chunk of earth and slid down to a sitting position, trying to catch her breath.

Boruto shoved his hands into his pockets, tilting his head to the side. "Well, it cracked a lot more than it did last time."

"I'm never going to get it right," Sarada said.

Sakura walked over to her daughter and offered a hand. "Cheer up! You'll get it next time!"

She took her hand and frowned. "That's what you said the last three times Kaa-chan. How long did it take you?"

The pair made their way back to the Uzumaki when Sakura answered. "A long time. You're learning faster than I did you know."

Sarada beamed. "Really?"

The other kunoichi smiled and nodded.

"Can you teach me how to do that Oba-san? I wanna destroy things with one punch too!"

Sakura chuckled and ruffled the eager boy's hair. "Sorry Bolt, but I don't think this type of training is for you."

He crossed his arms. "Aw man! And I don't want to be called Bolt anymore!"

She took her hand off of his head and frowned. "Why not?"

"That was the name I had BEFORE I became a Genin. I'm not a little kid anymore." He pointed at Sarada's forehead protector prior to his own. "We aren't some little kids you can mess around with either!"

Sakura grinned. "You certainly aren't. Do me a favor though and don't grow up too fast."

The two Genin nodded simultaneously. Boruto yawned. "Do you know when Sasuke-oji will be back? He said we were going to do some training this weekend."

Sarada frowned at the thought of her father. She remembered his promise to come to the ceremony where she and her other classmates were promoted to the Genin rank. He lied and didn't even show up that month. In fact, Sasuke hadn't been home once in the last six months. The only time she heard anything about him at all during his absence was when Boruto came back from training with him. Even then, Sasuke would only train with Boruto a few days at a time.

Sakura thought for a minute. "Sorry, I haven't heard from him recently."

Boruto groaned. Sakura announced that she had to go back to work in the hospital and the thirteen year olds made their way into the village. It was about time for lunch and it was Friday. The Academy gave students a special once a year free day so they could get in some training.

"I'm getting tired of waiting around for Sasuke-oji to come back on his own time. It's so irritating!" Boruto exclaimed.

Sarada frowned. "I haven't seen him in half a year so I wouldn't know anything..."

The Uzumaki put his hands behind his head and his expression changed to one of curiosity. "Really? He asks about you and Sakura-oba all the time."

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'm surprised."

He tilted his head so that he was facing the road in front of him once more. A mischievous smile appeared on his lips. "I'm gonna go throw balloons with paint in them at the Hokage's office after lunch. Want to join in?"

A sigh. "Why are you doing it this time?"

"My old man is always in his office. Whenever he actually decides to come home, he doesn't even act like I exist unless it's to scold me or refuse to do something with me."

They walked in silence for the next minute. Boruto was thinking of other ways to irritate his father. He had told the truth. Whenever Naruto came home from work, he'd usually go straight to bed or tell his son that he still had a lot to do. If he ever did anything with his kids, it was usually entertaining Himawari, Boruto's little sister. Naruto reached out to his disgruntled son a long time ago, convincing the boy to stop playing pranks. However, that had quickly changed when the elder Uzumaki did as he usually would and failed to keep his promises. Maybe once or twice he'd spent time with Boruto, but it didn't facilitate the situation much.

Sarada frowned and spoke with a saddened tone. "At least you know where your father is all the time."

The son of the Nanadaime's jaw dropped slightly and he glanced at his friend. "I guess both our dads kinda suck." He laughed quietly. "So are you coming or not?"

The Uchiha grinned. "Sure, but I'm only going to watch. It's always fun to see you get in trouble."

He smiled playfully. "You're such a wimp. Why won't you help me out? If you help me do this, I'll do something to Sasuke-oji for you. Just tell me what to do and I'll say it was all me!"

She sighed. "As much as I would like that, do you honestly want to see my mother get mad?"

They both shivered at the thought of an infuriated Sakura. Just before they'd become Genin, Boruto pulled a well thought out prank on his aunt. She'd gotten so mad he was surprised that she wasn't literally breathing fire. That was probably the biggest mistake the young and unfortunate Uzumaki had made in his life so far. If that wasn't enough, when Boruto's mother, Uzumaki Hinata, found out, her punishment proved to be almost as bad as Sakura's.

A nervous smile settled on his lips. "Yeah, maybe you should just watch."

* * *

Boruto had an evil grin on his face while he eagerly rubbed his hands together in anticipation. He and Sarada were sitting on a high tree branch, a bucket of balloons filled with paint resting next to them.

Sarada repeatedly cast nervous glances inside the Hokage's office. Her uncle didn't seem to be inside at the moment but that did little to ease her worry. "Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"Heck yeah! My old man is a piece of crap and I'm gonna make sure he knows it!" He grabbed a balloon and took aim, giving a mischievous laugh as he did so. "The windows are open. This is gonna be great!" He released the first balloon and it sailed through the air, landing right above the open windows. The boy grunted as he threw the second. It went through the window but hit the floor in the center of the room.

"Are you trying to hit his computer?" Sarada inquired.

Boruto bit his lower lip and closed one eye as he aimed once again. "Yep!" As he had hoped, the third hit the computer and splattered paint all over the object, causing sparks to fly in every direction. The boy laughed out of satisfaction and tossed the remaining balloons inside the office. He grabbed Sarada's hand and they jumped down from the tree. "Let's get as far away as possible!" the boy shouted.

"He's still going to know it was you," Sarada responded.

"I don't want to get you in trouble though."

The Uchiha stared at her friend in surprise.

He turned his head towards her and smiled as they ran on. "Besides, nothing is worse than Sakura-oba getting angry!"

Sarada returned the smile and the pair halted another minute later. "Well, I'm going to head home."

Boruto waved and they separated.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto nearly busted the hinges off of the front door as he stormed up to his son's room, holding a laptop dripping with paint. Hinata and Himawari, who were playing with dolls, shared a confused glance as they heard the livid man's footsteps echo throughout the house.

"Kaa-chan, why does Tou-chan look so angry?" Himawari asked.

"I don't know sweetie. I'm going to see what's wrong. Stay down here and I'll come play in a minute."

Hinata traveled all the way up the stairs and watched her husband fling their son's bedroom door open. She waited at the top of the steps, trying to hear what the problem was before she stepped in.

Boruto jumped as the door opened. He could tell that his father was extremely upset and furious.

"What," Naruto held the laptop up higher, "is this?!"

The boy being confronted gulped and sank lower in his chair. Before the sudden interruption, he'd been writing down more ways to make his father mad. Without looking, he shoved the list under a book and shrugged.

"You don't know?!"

Boruto kept his silence, not even daring to move a muscle.

The Hokage slammed the laptop down on his oldest child's desk and towered over him. "Tell me, what's that colorful stuff that's covering my broken laptop?"

The boy didn't answer.

"I asked you a question!"

"Paint..." Boruto was able to squeak out.

"Where did that paint come from? You better not lie to me either!"

"A balloon..."

"Where did the balloon come from?"

He shrugged.

Naruto backed up and crossed his arms. "You don't know, huh? That's interesting, because my entire office was covered in paint. The only person that ALWAYS does this kind of thing is you." He towered over his son once more. "I will ask you again. Where did the balloons come from?"

He swallowed and whispered, "I threw them..."

Naruto's hands grasped at his hair as he paced around the bedroom. "I had a lot of important documents on there Bolt! What were you thinking?!"

"Don't call me Bolt anymore."

The Hokage stopped pacing and stared at his son in surprise. "Fine! Right now your name can be Grounded! You're not leaving this house for the rest of the weekend!"

"But-!"

"No buts about it! You're lucky I don't ground you for next weekend too!"

With that, Naruto grabbed his ruined laptop and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Boruto growled and jumped onto his bed. He had been expecting punishment, but not being confined to the house for the remainder of the weekend. That was fine though. It would give him more time to think of more ways to get back at his father. This only added to the many things he'd get revenge for.

* * *

Sarada tapped her pencil on the desk as she thought about a question on her homework. Night had fallen on the village of Konoha and she had been working on it for a couple of hours now. Usually she would get it done in a matter of minutes, but she was distracted. Her father had sent home a letter saying he would be home by the end of the day. At first, she didn't know whether to be glad or furious. Her final decision was mad. It was based on the fact that he lied about being able to come to her Genin ceremony. Not only that, but it'd been half a year since he had been home and seen his family.

Glancing out a window, it turned into a stare of disbelief and her mouth nearly dropped to the floor. Adjusting her glasses so she could see better, Sarada leaned closer to the window in order to get a closer look. Sure enough, she saw a dark figure down the road, slowly but surely making its way towards the house. Uchiha Sasuke was staring straight ahead, heading in the direction of the house. Sarada always found it funny how her father refused to wear light colors. He appeared to be tired but nonetheless, a small smile was barely visible on his lips. The male Uchiha put up his heavily bandaged left arm to cover a yawn.

When he reached the front door, Sarada looked down to see her mother quickly embrace him and they kissed. The young Uchiha rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Gross..." Then, she glimpsed at her forehead protector and remembered that she should be mad at him. She sighed deeply and frowned as she turned her attention back to her homework.

Meanwhile downstairs, Sasuke and Sakura stumbled through the doorway as they hugged.

"How have you been?" Sasuke asked as he kissed her forehead.

Sakura blushed while he pulled away. "Good. What about you?"

"I've been better. What about Sarada?"

The pink-haired woman frowned. "She's probably mad at you."

"I know that I've been gone for longer-"

"No, it's not that."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

She huffed in complete annoyance. "Did you really forget? I thought it just had something to do with your travels..."

Sasuke was still lost and Sakura was increasingly getting irritated. "You'll figure it out. You should go talk to her."

He set his bag down and walked to Sarada's bedroom. They basically lived in a mansion so everything they did echoed throughout the house. It had been rebuilt for them and Sasuke called it the Uchiha Manor so everyone else did, too. He knocked and heard her give permission to enter, so he slowly opened the door.

She glanced at him through the corner of her eye and continued to write something down. "Hn, Tou-chan."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. _"Since when does she call me Tou-chan? I thought it was Papa..."_ He cleared his throat. "How have you been?"

The girl turned in her chair, acting like this was nothing out of the ordinary and like he hadn't been gone for the past six months. "Fine, you?"

"Hn, good..."

Sasuke was extremely bewildered. Apparently he'd forgotten something important and now things between him and his daughter were getting to be awkward. "Do you want to," he scratched his head, "maybe, go on a walk with me?"

Her expression was still indifferent when she whirled back around and began writing again. "I'm doing homework. I have to learn a lot more now since I'm a..." She sighed and leaned closer to the desk as she worked.

Before completely closing the door, Sasuke saw the forehead protector and mentally facepalmed. Walking back to where he left Sakura, a string of curse words escaped his lips. "What have I done?" he said as he sat down next to her on the couch.

"So you figured out," Sakura said knowingly as she moved closer.

He buried his face in his hands and nodded.

"She's just upset right now. Did you say anything about it?"

Sasuke shook his head.

Sakura thought for a minute. "I'm sure things will get better after you say something. Just give it time."

He removed his face from his hands and rested his head on the back of the couch. "One more thing. When did I become Tou-chan?"

She chuckled quietly in amusement. "Her and the others who became Genin are trying to act more, mature, now. If it makes you feel better, I'm Kaa-chan instead of Mama."

He frowned and crossed his arms while sitting up. "What about her training?"

"She's getting a little frustrated lately. She's progressing faster than I did though."

Sasuke smirked. "Hn, she is your daughter so she has your smarts in chakra control."

His wife returned the smirk. "She's definitely your daughter, having your impatience."

They leaned forward to share another short kiss. Sasuke broke it to ask another question. "Have they been placed into teams yet?"

Sakura sighed. "No. Naruto still hasn't made up his mind. In the meantime, we've all been training them separately. How's Bolt, oh wait, I mean Boruto-kun doing lately?"

It was Sasuke's turn to sigh. "That kid is just as stupid as his father, but I can tolerate him more than I can Naruto."

"Well, Hinata won't let him be as 'stupid' as his father. Anyway, are you going to train Sarada?"

"No!"

Sakura looked taken aback when she gave a startled jump. "Why not? I mean, she's fine with me right now, but I can't help her deal with the Sharingan. She still doesn't have it yet."

Sasuke ran both of his hands through his hair, both of them shaking. "I just," he struggled to find the right words, "I'm already busy with Boruto. I hardly have enough time to train him and... I just don't have enough time to train Sarada."

The couple was silent for the next minute until something VERY important to Sasuke popped into his head. "She hasn't gotten involved with boys yet has she?"

Sakura laughed at his serious tone. "You don't have anything to worry about right now. And I promised that I'd be the one to 'interrogate' any boys while you're away."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Hn, good."

"By the way, if you were planning on training with Boruto-kun in the next few days, you might want to cancel that."

"What did that little dobe do now?"

"Sarada told me that he was throwing paint balloons into his father's office this time."

Sasuke cursed under his breath. After he finished, a sigh left his lips once more. "Do you have anything to do tomorrow? We haven't been together for the last six months."

She smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. I have to be at work all day. On the bright side, you and Sarada can spend some time together."

He frowned. "She hates me right now."

"No she doesn't and you can make up for that tomorrow. Or better yet, make it up right now."

"She's doing homework."

"Sasuke-kun, she has the whole weekend to do that. And since when does someone doing important work stop you from getting what you want? I speak from experience."

The male Uchiha smirked at her last comment. "I guess I'll give it a try."

* * *

Sarada turned when she heard another knock on her door. She told the person to enter and it was her father again.

"I'm busy Tou-chan," the young kunoichi said while returning her attention back to the homework.

Sasuke said nothing as he pulled up a chair and sat next to her. He watched in silence while his daughter continued to scribble down more answers.

Sarada repeatedly glanced at her father from the corner of her eye as the man hovered over her shoulder.

"That one is wrong," he said, pointing to one of the answers.

"Thanks," she muttered and changed it.

He slowly picked up the forehead protector and stared at the object. "I'm sorry..."

She stopped writing and twisted towards him. The look on her face made him want to crawl in a hole and die for upsetting her.

The girl adjusted her glasses and averted her eyes to the floor. "It's fine." She gasped and her head popped up again as Sasuke tied the forehead protector around her head, looking her in the eye as he did so. "As beautiful as ever," he said after finishing. "Hm, I don't like it."

Sarada's mouth hung open and she raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"I don't like it because it might attract boys."

"Tou-chan!"

He chuckled quietly prior to kissing her cheek, earning him a glare. "Your mother already mentioned that there weren't any boys yet. Was she right?"

"Yes."

"Good."

She reached for her pencil once more, but Sasuke quickly snatched it and all of the papers and books scattered around it.

"Hey!"

"Why are you doing all of this tonight?"

"Because I want to get it finished. I want a free day tomorrow."

Reluctantly, he handed everything back to her.

She sighed and shook her head along with making motions for him to go. "Leave me alone and, I don't know, go spend time with Kaa-chan. I bet you were already planning something like that anyway."

He smirked and backed up to stand in the doorway. "That's actually a good idea."

Sarada huffed with annoyance. "Then get out. I have work to do."

With one final smirk, Sasuke exited the room and closed the door behind him.

Sarada was left in bewilderment as she twisted her head to look out the window. Her father had never really acted like that. He hadn't mentioned training with Boruto at all so she guessed her mother had already explained the Uzumaki's mischievous actions of the day. _"I'm always the second or last choice to him."_ She rested her head on the desk as she wondered to herself. Boruto was probably grounded for a long time now, so her father might actually bother to spend time with her, that is, if he stayed. She wouldn't put it past him to leave again since he wasn't training with the Uzumaki. As she pondered some more, a realization came to mind. _"He seemed like he was actually sorry for not coming. I still don't believe it though. Hmph! He thinks that he can come back here after six months, miss my Genin ceremony, and think that one simple apology makes everything fine?!"_ She angrily began to do her work once more.

* * *

Hinata had recently watched her distressed husband violently attempt to pull his hair out after stomping out of their son's room. "Look at this!" he yelled, dropping the laptop onto the table in the living room.

"Tou-chan, why are you so mad?" Himawari asked.

"It's nothing you need to worry about honey. Can you go up to your room for a few minutes?" Naruto responded.

The young girl nodded and ran upstairs.

After their daughter had exited the room, Hinata sat down next to her disgruntled husband and tried to comfort him.

"Hinata, I don't know what to do with him. He won't stop with these stupid pranks."

"You used to be the same way. He just needs a little more time to mature."

He threw his hands into the air. "I've talked with him about this so many times. I don't understand, but I grounded him for the whole weekend this time."

Hinata tenderly rubbed Naruto's shoulders. "I think you did the right thing by grounding him. I'll go up to Boruto's room and talk to him. Maybe I can help somehow."

The Hokage smiled. "You've always been better at speaking to him than I have."

The married couple shared a long kiss before Hinata made her way upstairs. Prior to entering her oldest child's room, she told Himawari that she could leave her room. The excited little girl happily trotted down the steps and into her father's lap.

Hinata had already decided what she was going to say when she opened her son's bedroom door. What she saw upon entering was the upset Genin sitting on his bed.

"Are you here to scold me too? If you are then you can hold your breath because HE already took care of that."

"Well, what you did was wrong. I'd just like to know why you did it. Bolt, you just turned thirteen. You need to stop with these immature pranks."

"Don't call me Bolt anymore! I'm a Genin now!"

"Then why don't you act like it?" she calmly replied.

He didn't have anything to fire back at his mother. Instead, the boy crossed his arms and turned his head to look out the window.

"Look, your father is a very busy man and he doesn't have time for your pranks."

 _"Ha! Even when he's not at work, he never has time for me at all!"_ Boruto bit his lip to keep himself from repeating the words out loud.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Hinata asked while sitting next to her son and stroking his hair. Surprisingly, he didn't protest to the action.

The young Uzumaki frowned and shrugged.

Hinata matched his frown with one of her own. "I'm your mother and that means you can talk to me about anything, anytime you want."

"I know," he muttered, "but I don't have anything to say though."

"Okay, but if you want to talk later, I'll listen." Hinata kissed his cheek and made her way to the bedroom door. She stopped and looked over her shoulder after placing her hand on the knob. "Did you apologize?"

He uncrossed his arms and looked up. Shaking his head, he turned his gaze downward again.

"You don't have to do it tonight. I want you and your father to cool down first."

Sighing, Boruto nodded reluctantly. His mother exited the room and he laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. For the next few hours, the blond daydreamed about what it would be like to have his father home all the time. How would things be if that were the case? Then, he remembered his friend Sarada declaring that she was going through the same thing. Narrowing his eyes, he wondered if it was worse for her than it was for him. _"At least Sasuke-oji doesn't only want to speak to her when it involves scolding..."_

Boruto tiredly rubbed his eyes as he walked down the hall towards the bathroom. He was about to reach his way point when he heard giggles coming from downstairs. Curiously peering over the railing, he saw his father and sister sitting on the floor.

"You look silly Tou-chan!" Himawari laughed after putting more makeup onto his face.

Naruto smiled and looked into a mirror. He looked like a clown that had been in a horrible accident. "Silly?! I think I look awesome! After all, you're the one doing my makeup."

They both started giggling again and Naruto picked his daughter up, twirling her around. Himawari laughed and smiled until she was breathless.

Boruto sadly looked on as his mother came from the kitchen and grinned at her husband's appearance. Naruto put his daughter down and let her reapply lipstick to him. He then started to chase his wife around the room in an attempt to kiss her. The young boy upstairs almost wanted to smile at the scene. He began to do it, but stopped himself as soon as Naruto hugged both of the girls.

 _"At least he has time for both of you..."_

Clenching his fists, Boruto ran into the bathroom and did his best not to slam the door as hard as he could.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'll probably include some more of the next generation characters later on in this story. I'm waiting for Naruto Gaiden to progress a little more so I can get a better idea of what their personalities are like.


	2. Secrets

**Author's Note:** I apologize for not updating sooner. To be honest, I didn't expect this story to be that popular. I promise that I won't drop it though. I had a little bit of writer's block for this chapter, too. Enjoy!

* * *

Boruto bounced a rubber ball against the wall opposite of his bedroom door. It was very early on Saturday morning. In fact, it was so early that the sun hadn't risen. The boy had woken up minutes ago and couldn't go back to sleep. Instead he sat on the floor, throwing and catching the small ball. He imagined how horrible his weekend of confinement was going to be and scowled. The young Uzumaki remembered that his mother was going to make him apologize to his good for nothing father later on in the day.

"Crap," Boruto angrily muttered as another realization came to mind. He had overheard his parents say that Sasuke returned to the village yesterday. With him being grounded, there was no chance of getting any training over the weekend. Catching the ball and thinking longer, he smiled as he thought of his best friend. _"Well, maybe Sarada can spend some time with him. I don't want her to think that her old man is crappy like mine. She doesn't deserve a dad like 'Uzumaki Naruto, the war hero' who doesn't even want to hang out with his kid."_ He threw the ball harder and frowned. _"What the heck did he do to deserve that title anyway?! The only stories I've been told are the simple tales for children! If my old man is so great, then I want to know everything!"_

A noise came from down the hall. Boruto held the ball and stood up, opening his door a crack. Naruto closed his and Hinata's bedroom door quietly, throwing his Hokage uniform on. Boruto shut the door entirely and walked to a window. A few moments later, Naruto was seen making his way towards the Hokage's office. _"Oh yeah, he said something about having an important meeting this morning. Hmph! He always has something 'important' to do!"_

The boy jumped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering how to cure his boredom.

* * *

Sarada rubbed her eyes and glanced outside, then at the clock. The sun had just risen and it was about time for her mother to leave for work. Jumping up and grabbing her glasses, she hurriedly ran to the kitchen. The young Uchiha stopped in the doorway to find her mother finishing up with her breakfast. "Morning," Sarada greeted.

"Hey sweetie, sleep well?"

She shifted her glasses and nodded. Sitting at the table, the girl noticed a lack of another person's presence. "Where's Tou-chan?"

Sakura gestured towards their bedroom. "Still asleep."

Sarada sighed and put her hands under her chin, elbows digging into the table.

"What's wrong?"

She took a short glance at her mother. "Do you really have to go? Can't you take the day off?"

"You know that I can't. Why?"

"Hmph!" she snorted as she crossed her arms.

"You're still upset, huh? Well, I'm sure that he had a good reason for not coming. Just remember that he loves you no matter what."

No response.

"I have to get going," Sakura announced. She kissed her daughter's cheek before opening the door. "Have a good day!"

"You too!" Sarada called after her mother.

Sighing again, the young kunoichi shuffled out of her seat and began to travel back to her room. On the way, she noticed the door to her parents' study was open. _"They must have forgotten to close it,"_ she thought. Grabbing the doorknob, she started to pull it shut, but stopped when her gaze caught something surprising. _"Tou-chan always puts his books away."_ Sasuke would write in notebooks every time he came home. He had also written down some of his past memories, before Sarada was born. She walked into the room and reached for the notebook. Her hand halted halfway from it, hesitating because her father had warned her never to read from any of his notebooks. _"I won't actually be reading anything. I'm just putting it away for him,"_ she silently reassured herself. Swallowing, Sarada quickly picked it up and walked to the chest he stored them in. She had never looked inside the box, afraid that Sasuke would be upset. Sure enough, it was unlocked and the young Uchiha tossed the item into the chest, slamming the top down louder than intended.

A bang from somewhere else in the house followed by a blatant curse word made a pang of fear rush through the dark-haired girl. Sarada gulped and crawled out of the room as fast as she possibly could, shutting the door behind her. Scrambling to her parents' bedroom, she peeped through the crack to see her father with his eyes tightly shut and his teeth grinding, rubbing the back of his head. Apparently, Sasuke had accidentally hit it on the headboard and pretty hard, judging by how clear his cursing had been. Getting out of the bed, the man sauntered to the door, unknowingly causing his daughter to make a mad dash for her room.

 _"This is just my luck!"_ Sarada thought urgently while closing her door and jumping onto the bed while grabbing a book. Seconds later, Sasuke entered the room still with a hand placed on his head. She looked up, acting surprised by the sudden interruption.

"What are you doing up so early?" Sasuke asked groggily.

Sarada smirked. "I heard you all the way from in here."

He returned the smirk. "Hn, sorry about that. I hit my head pretty hard." Sasuke enjoyed seeing his daughter smile. However, he was still furious with himself for missing the Genin ceremony. He knew that Sarada was also upset with him still. "Do you want to get breakfast and go on a walk?" he questioned.

She was clearly shocked by his offer, but nodded a few moments later.

* * *

"Nii-chan, do you want to play with me?" Himawari asked her big brother in an attempt to cheer him up.

He peered at his little sister from the corner of his eye. "No thanks. I'm not really in a good mood."

"Okay," she voiced sadly and hopped off the couch.

"Boruto honey, come clean up your mess," Hinata called from the kitchen.

He lazily stood up and yawned, walking towards his mother. "Sorry, I forgot," he explained.

"It's okay," she replied as he handed his plate to her. "When your father comes home I want you to apologize."

He growled but immediately shut himself up when he saw his mother give him a warning look. "Fine," the Uzumaki muttered under his breath. He envisioned that upcoming moment and how much he would hate it. Apologizing to his father was always a pain to Boruto, especially since it happened all the time. That was the worst part about annoying his father, saying sorry. It was worth it though because the old man deserved it. Speaking of which, Boruto needed to work out when his next prank would be. An evil smile crossed the boy's face as he ran upstairs, ready to write on his list.

* * *

"Where do you want to go?" Sasuke questioned as he closed the front door.

Sarada shrugged. "I didn't have any plans for today."

"Hn, we'll figure something out."

The pair began to walk at a slow pace down the road that led towards the middle of town. Sarada averted her eyes away from her father, frowning. She was still upset with him and thought he was only doing this because Boruto was confined to his house.

Sasuke frequently glanced at his daughter, trying to get an idea of how she was feeling. Suddenly, the girl excitedly twisted her head towards him with a smile. "Can we go to the training grounds?! You can teach me some stuff!"

He scratched his head nervously. "I don't know..."

"Okay then you only have to watch! Please! Please! Please! Pl-!" She froze as two fingers tapped her forehead. Looking up, she saw her father with a gigantic smirk plastered on his face.

"You're as annoying as your mother."

Her expression didn't change. "So is that a yes or a no?"

Chuckling quietly, Sasuke removed his fingers. "Yes."

It didn't take long for Sarada to wrap her arms around him in a giant bear hug, forgetting that she should be mad at the elder Uchiha. He put an arm around her, the corners of his mouth twitching upward to form a small smile.

They were in the middle of the village not long after, Sarada attempting to drag Sasuke along and force him to move faster. Finally she gave up and ran down the road, gaining a large distance. She waited there as he shook his head and continued to walk at his own pace. Crossing her arms and pouting, she noticed other people were staring. They weren't looking at her, but at her father. It wasn't the good kind of stare either. Most of them looked like they were terrified or despised the male Uchiha. Sasuke appeared as if he hadn't noticed. Either that or he was ignoring them.

Sasuke peered at Sarada from the corner of his eye as he passed her. The girl didn't move. Turning his head to the side, he called over his shoulder, "Now who's not keeping up?"

Sarada snapped out of her trance, grinning as she jogged to catch up.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh, I thought I saw something weird. It was nothing."

Minutes later, the training grounds came in sight and Sarada took out her forehead protector and wrapped it around her head, running the last stretch. She halted and turned her attention downward, curiously gazing under a nearby tree. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, wondering what the disturbance was. His fatherly instincts kicked in as he sped up.

"What are you doing here Mitsuki?" Sarada inquired.

 _"Mitsuki?! Who the heck-?!"_ He frowned as he caught sight of this Mitsuki character. _"A boy..."_

The light-haired male looked up from his book and smiled. "Hello Uchiha-san. I'm here because I thought it was a nice day to read outside."

The young kunoichi smiled back. "You're right. It is nice out here today. And I keep telling you that you can call me Sarada you know."

"Okay, whatever you prefer. Mitsuki began to study the other man. "You must be Sarada's father. Sasuke-san, is it?"

He crossed his arms. "Hn, yes. It's Uchiha-san to you."

To his dismay, the pale boy nodded agreeably and held out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you Uchiha-san."

Sasuke reluctantly shook the other male's hand with an iron grip. Once again, he looked to be unfazed.

"I'm gonna go work on some stuff Kaa-chan taught me," Sarada stated as she sped off into the field.

Sasuke crossed his arms again while narrowing his eyes, staring at the boy. "Mind if I sit?"

Mitsuki moved aside. "Of course not!" The disgruntled man sat and glared at him from the corner of his eye.

Mitsuki chuckled quietly. "Uchiha-san, I assure you that there's no need to worry about me. I have no sort of romantic attachment to your daughter in any way."

Sasuke gasped. "How did you-?"

Another chuckle. "All fathers act protective of their daughters around males, especially in their teenage years. Anyway, as I just said, I'm not the one you should be concerned with."

Sasuke was still bewildered by the boy's boldness. He said his thoughts aloud. "Then who should I be concerned with?"

Mitsuki slowly closed his book and began to watch Sarada. "In my opinion, I would say Uzumaki-san, well, Boruto. I sometimes study their interactions with each other. They're definitely best friends and rivals, but I think it could eventually become something more intimate. It's just speculation though."

Sasuke shuddered at the thought of being related to Naruto. He was also fuming at the possible future of Sarada being with Boruto. Heck, he hated imagining her with any boy at all. _"That little dobe. If he even lays a finger on her... Wait, why am I so willing to listen to this kid? Well, he has been_ _around the both of them more often lately and he seems very trustworthy. Mitsuki has a lot of nerve though, just speaking his mind without hesitation."_ Sasuke was brought back to reality as a loud cracking sound filled the air.

Sarada panted as she put a hand on the boulder she had just cracked. "At least it's bigger than last time. I still can't break it completely though."

Sasuke's jaw had dropped slightly out of shock. He smirked and thought to himself, _"Now I've got two women in my life that can beat me up."_

"Don't exhaust yourself," Sasuke warned.

She waved him off when she walked back, gaining distance for another try. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Shaking his head, Sasuke continued to watch his daughter with pride. Mitsuki was also paying close attention to the young Uchiha. As she charged with an eager smile present on her face, Sasuke thought to himself, _"She looks just like Sakura when she smiles. Sarada acts like her most of the time, too. I'm just glad she inherited her mother's forehead. Now she's even working on obtaining her skills."_ He frowned. _"As long as she doesn't end up like me, then everything will be fine. I'll never let her turn into what I became back then."_

Crack!

Sarada huffed in annoyance at the larger crack. "Of course... I can't wait to smash this thing to bits." Sitting down and attempting to control her breathing, she stared at her father and friend, who stared back.

"You'll get it," Sasuke encouraged.

"From what I've heard," Mitsuki began, "this type of training is quite advanced for people of our age and skill level."

"Is that supposed to cheer me up?" Sarada breathed.

The boy rolled his eyes and his attention returned back to the book. He jumped in surprise as a shuriken buried itself into the bark of the tree right beside his head. Sasuke also flinched at the sudden attack. He tilted his head to see that Sarada, with a gigantic smirk, was bent over from the force she had used to throw the weapon.

Mitsuki returned the smirk and crossed his arms. "You didn't even throw it straight," he said, gesturing towards the weapon.

"Who said I was trying to hit you?" she replied, shifting her glasses.

"Then what was that for?"

"For showing me up in class a few days ago. If Boruto wouldn't have distracted me then I would have won the contest."

Sasuke sneered. _"Hmph! Uzumakis are always trouble. First, that little dobe gets grounded because of his immature pranks. Now, he's distracting Sarada. Wait... He's distracting her?!"_ The male Uchiha was obviously taking this the wrong way. After hearing Mitsuki's opinion on the situation, he had tried to momentarily keep Boruto out of his mind. _"I dare him to make a move. I'll rip that little dobe's-"_

Thwack!

"That's what I intended to do a few days ago," Sarada mocked. She was pointing to a kunai she had chucked into a tree further away.

The light-haired boy stepped up beside her and studied the kunai. "Impressive. You might have beaten me with a throw like that. May I have a turn?"

Sarada nodded and paid close attention.

Mitsuki rolled up his very long sleeves, then proceeded to wrap his Genin forehead protector around his head. Pulling out a kunai from a small pouch on his side, he turned to a tree directly beside the one Sarada had recently used. "I'm going to hit it right where that little notch is," he explained, indicating the spot.

Sarada frowned as she continued to watch.

Finally, the boy changed his position, ready to fire. After a few seconds of complete silence, the male flung the kunai, sending it sailing through the air. All three of them anticipated the landing, waiting to see if Mitsuki could keep his word.

Smack!

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, him being the first to notice that he'd hit his mark. He didn't just graze it either, it was perfect. Sarada stared in awe, her jaw dropping to the ground.

"How was that?" Mitsuki asked knowingly, a smile making its way to his features.

It took the female Uchiha a moment to reply, still shocked. "That was pretty good. I'll challenge you to a real contest when I'm not worn out."

The male smirked and grabbed his book before walking towards the road. "I'll see you later Sarada. It was a pleasure meeting you Uchiha-san."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Since when can teenage boys be so, polite? _"That kid... I'm probably never going to get over how bold he was. Hn, no romantic feelings for my daughter, huh? I like him already..."  
_

"Hmph!" Sarada pouted as she stomped to her father.

"What's wrong now?" he questioned.

"I don't like losing," she complained.

Sasuke stood up. "You shouldn't throw dangerous weapons at your friends."

"Oh please, it was just a shuriken."

They began to travel down the road. Sasuke was becoming overly concerned about how she felt towards Mitsuki. "How close are you two?"

She shrugged. "We're friends. He moved here recently." She stopped mid-step and became flustered, turning a light shade of red. "Tou-chan! I said there were no boys! What did you say to him?!"

He smirked as she caught up. "The standard intimidation. I think I've come up with a motto for when you get a boyfriend. You break my daughter's heart, I break your neck."

She kicked his shin lightly. "Like I'll ever get a boyfriend with you saying something like that! Did you really say that to him?!"

"No, I'll save that for other boys." He was mainly referring to Boruto, that is, if Mitsuki's suspicions were correct. The Uchiha wanted to question his daughter of her feelings for the Uzumaki, but at the same time he wanted to keep that thought in the very back of her mind, so he kept his silence.

When they entered the middle of the village, Sarada fell behind her father by a couple of steps. She noticed the villagers' stares once again. They were exactly the same as earlier. _"Why do they look at Tou-chan like that? How long has it been like this? I've never really paid any attention to them before, but now..."_ She thought of the notebooks he had written in. Why did he tell her to never look inside them? Did they contain information on why he always left? If so, did they also give an answer as to why people gazed at him like this? Sarada constantly thought about the possibilities for the rest of the day.

* * *

There it was. The dreaded sound of the front door opening and closing filled the house. It meant that Uzumaki Naruto, the Nanadaime Hokage, was home. It also meant that Boruto would have to apologize very soon. The boy was currently in his room upstairs, playing with a rubber ball again. He jumped when he heard the noise downstairs, sighing out of frustration. He'd been waiting for this moment all day and now he could finally get it over with. The thing is, he really did not want to do it right now.

"Boruto!" Hinata called.

 _"Ugh, right now?! He just came home!"_ the young Uzumaki thought urgently. Swallowing, he opened his bedroom door and slowly walked down the hall. When he got to the railing of the stairs, he peered down to see everyone in the living room, looking as if they were all waiting for him. _"I have to do this in front of Tou-chan, Kaa-chan, and Hima?!"_

"Do you have something to say?" Hinata questioned softly.

The boy sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, walking down the stairs. Naruto sat up with a frown set on is face. Himawari was between her parents on the couch, curiously watching her older brother. Hinata patiently waited for Boruto to answer.

Yet another sigh as he stared at the floor. "Tou-chan, I'm sorry I threw paint balloons in your office. I'm also sorry for breaking your laptop."

Naruto crossed his arms and was silent for a few seconds. "I accept your apology. Do you understand why I grounded you?"

Boruto nodded multiple times.

A small smile crept its way onto Naruto's lips. "Okay." He stood up and traveled upstairs, heading towards his and Hinata's bedroom.

 _"Just as I thought,"_ Boruto began in his mind, _"he's going to bed as soon as he gets home. It's not even ten yet! Hmph! All he wanted to do was hear me apologize!"_

"You can go now," Hinata excused her son. "Thank you for doing that."

He didn't say a word as he ran up to his room, angrily muttering to himself. His infuriated expression switched to one of sorrow and curiosity. _"I wonder how Sarada is doing... Sasuke-oji is probably furious with me at the moment. I don't care though. If it means they get to spend time with each other, then I'll get grounded for life. Heck, if it means that Sarada will be happy, I'll gladly do it..."_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Once again, I apologize for the long wait and I promise I will not drop this story. It's definitely possible for BoruSara later on. I hope that I had an accurate portrayal of Mitsuki's character. Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews! Hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	3. Curiosity

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait. If you've been keeping up with my other story then you know why. If you don't, I've had a ton of crap to do in the last few weeks. I've also been having some depression, but I'm doing better now. By the way, if you're going to criticize, I take CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Also, to add to that, if you can't spell or type good enough so that I can understand what you mean, don't even bother attempting to criticize. Sorry for the rant, just had to get that out there. Thanks so much for the support! Enjoy!

* * *

Boruto yawned as he waited for breakfast. He hated Mondays almost as much as he hated his father. He didn't want to go back to the Academy today, especially because he hadn't been able to do anything all weekend. Himawari sat across from him at the table, also yawning. Hinata was almost done making their breakfast and decided to check on the kids for a minute.

"So what have you been learning recently?" Hinata asked her son.

He shrugged and put an elbow on the table. "Nothing really important. We haven't done much since Tou-chan put off being separated into teams."

"Oh, that reminds me. Your father got an emergency call this morning. So when he comes down here don't be too loud. He's probably really frustrated."

Himawari gasped. "Tou-chan is still home?"

Hinata smiled and nodded. Boruto didn't know how to react to this news. "What was the emergency?"

His mother thought for a minute and finally shook her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe he'll tell us when he comes down."

The three Uzumakis had finished half of their breakfast by the time the missing member entered the room. He lazily rubbed his eyes while sitting down, but he quickly put a smile on his face as he turned towards his children. "Good news for you guys. Looks like you have another free day, or, I should say free week." Boruto and Himawari's eyes widened out of shock and excitement.

Hinata copied their expressions. "What happened?"

Naruto sighed. "Apparently, the Academy was vandalized. Lots of things have been broken or damaged. I've already sent word out to the other students."

"That's horrible! Do you have any idea who did it?" the former Hyuga questioned.

The Hokage shook his head. "No, but it shouldn't take long for us to gather some evidence." He turned to Boruto. "I need you to walk with me to work this morning. I have something to tell you."

The boy gulped quietly. _"What now?! I don't remember doing anything bad over the weekend!"_ He finished his breakfast and waited for his father on the couch. Before he knew it, they were out the door. "W-What is it you wanted to tell me Tou-chan?"

"Hm?" Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Oh, that. Sasuke said to be at the training grounds soon. He didn't sound too happy either."

Boruto frowned. "Great... Is that all?"

Naruto grinned. "Well, I guess. I'm gonna wish you luck. Heh heh heh..."

The young Uzumaki raised an eyebrow. "What?"

The grin grew wider. "I've just been wondering, do you have a girl on your mind?"

Boruto turned a dark shade of red. "N-No! Why would you think that?!"

A chuckle. "I assume my boy is a ladies man! Am I right?"

He shrugged innocently. "I don't know. I guess."

Naruto bit his lower lip and raised his eyebrows repeatedly. "I know who you like."

Boruto huffed and looked away, crossing his arms.

The older male shook his head in amusement. "You have a crush on little Miss Sasuke lookalike don't you?"

Boruto immediately stopped walking, turning an even darker shade of red. "No I don't! I'd never go out with her!"

Naruto laughed harder. "Whatever you say. Anyway, if you have some trouble with her old man in terms of dating then I could pull a few strings."

"I-I told you that I don't have a crush on Sarada!"

The Hokage put an arm around his shoulder. "Son, the more you deny it, uh, think of something else to finish that. My point is, be on your absolute best behavior around Old Man Sasuke if you ever want to date her. Even then, he still probably won't accept you. BUT, if you've won over her mother, then she'll definitely talk some sense into him, or beat it into him, and get him out of your way."

"Hmph! Thanks for the useless information..."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it comes in handy later. Okay, we split up from here. Good luck with Old Man Sasuke."

"Yeah, thanks. I probably need it," Boruto muttered as they separated. That had been perhaps the most normal and casual conversation he and his father shared since, well, he couldn't remember the last time it'd been like that.

* * *

Sasuke impatiently huffed and crossed his arms, frowning. He knew that he hadn't given the boy enough time to get to the training grounds, but he was already irritated with him for many reasons.

"Are you going to lecture him?" Sarada asked, smirking.

Sasuke shrugged. Sakura had to work again today and Sarada claimed that she would be bored at home alone, so he took her with him to the field.

"I'm here!" came a shout from down the road. Sure enough, it was Boruto, who was running as fast as he could towards the Uchihas. He was panting heavily by the time he reached them. Sarada shook her head and walked to a nearby tree.

Sasuke frowned again, gazing down at the younger male. "I heard about that little stunt you pulled."

Boruto scratched his head and laughed nervously. "It was just a harmless prank. My dad took it way too seriously."

Sasuke tilted his head away. "A harmless prank huh? Well I hope you're happy that it caused you to miss some training. That's the reason I came back."

Sarada hardly suppressed a disappointed gasp. _"Only to train with Boruto? You really didn't want to see me and Kaa-chan?"_ She sat down and hugged her knees, frowning. _"I knew it..."_

Boruto stomped and clenched his fists. "It only took you six months!"

"And I bet you weren't practicing in that time," Sasuke retorted coldly.

The disgruntled Uzumaki took a step forward. "Yes I have! Watch this!" He got a running start and jumped high into the air, doing multiple flips. He straightened himself out and threw many shuriken at a fallen tree branch. He landed on the ground and watched as all were about to hit their mark when-

"WHAT?!" Boruto shouted in disbelief.

Sarada gasped, her jaw dropping.

"Ahem," Sasuke called from behind the bewildered Uzumaki.

Boruto nearly lost his mind. Every single shuriken he had thrown were all spinning around one of his master's fingers.

"I thought you said you had been practicing. Pathetic," Sasuke taunted. He tossed the weapons back to Boruto, who was fuming.

"What the-?! You-! I-! No way!" the boy shrieked, still in shock.

"Too easy," Sasuke said.

Boruto had no clue what to do at the moment. He stood with his jaw lowered to the ground and a finger pointed at Sasuke. "You-! One finger?!"

The Uchiha crossed his arms. "Hn, even Naruto is better than you."

At this, Boruto grew very angry. "He's the worst of the worst! Never say that again!"

Sasuke smirked. "Looks like you have some common sense."

"Hmph!" The Uzumaki stomped off to where Sarada sat.

She raised an eyebrow. "Is this how you two usually train together?"

He nodded. Shifting his gaze to study her, he noticed how depressed she looked. "What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

"Hm? Oh, I guess I'm just a little bored."

He smiled. "Why don't you train with me today?"

She was quick to reject his offer. "No thanks."

As he continued in his attempts to persuade her, Sasuke was giving a deadly glare to Boruto. _"What's he telling her? You touch my daughter, I won't hesitate to kill you. Little dobe. Hn, thinks he can do anything on my watch does he?"_

Boruto leaned down to grab her hand, trying to force her into training with him. Just as he was about to reach her, a whizzing sound filled the air. The next instant, both Genin were shocked to learn that a kunai knife had been buried into the tree down to its hilt, almost brushing against Boruto's nose.

"Pitiful," Sasuke sneered. "One of the most important rules of being a ninja is to always expect the unexpected."

The boy finally erupted. "Are you trying to kill me?! What the heck is wrong with you?!"

The males argued for about another minute before Sarada had grown tired of it. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. "Tou-chan?" The two were so focused on yelling that they seemed not to have heard. "Tou-chan?!" More shouting. She sighed and stood up. "I'm going into the village." As they continued to scream at each other, she began to travel down the road. She had the comment about only coming home to train stuck in her mind. "Not like you care anyway. I'm not that important to you apparently."

* * *

Sarada walked up to the front desk. "Is my mother here?" she asked the lady politely.

The woman smiled and nodded. "You can go up to her office if you'd like."

The young Uchiha grinned. "Thanks!" she said as she made her way to Sakura's office. Sure enough, the pink-haired woman was at her desk when Sarada entered.

She appeared to be surprised. "Hey sweetie. Why are you here right now? I thought you were out with your father."

She shrugged and sighed. "He's training with Boruto. I went along with him, but..." A frown settled on her lips.

A concerned look crossed Sakura's face. "What's wrong?"

"I was being completely ignored. They were too busy shouting at each other."

Sakura laughed and stood up, making Sarada extremely confused. Her mother placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Let me tell you something. When we were Genin, Sasuke-kun and Hokage-sama would fight about everything, even if it was something stupid and pointless. They still fight even today, so I can imagine your father and Boruto-kun arguing all the time."

Sarada smiled as Sakura sat back down. "Do they really fight a lot? I've only seen them do it once or twice."

Sakura nodded. "Oh yeah. It's a wonder I didn't end up killing the both of them. Anyway, after I finish filling this form out we can go get lunch. I'm taking a break early today."

"Okay," Sarada responded as she sat down in a chair located at the front of the desk. "You never really talk about being a Genin a lot. I've heard that you guys had some really cool adventures. Can you tell me about some of them?"

Sakura glanced up from her work. "Do you have any in mind?"

Sarada thought for a minute. "Hm... I heard the Kazekage mention this one. What about when you and Chiyo-san fought, what was his name...? Oh yeah! The Akatsuki member, Sasori of the Red Sand."

"That brings back memories," Sakura said with a smile. "Where to begin? So, I knew that Sasori had possible information on-" her breathing hitched.

Sarada's jaw dropped slightly. "What's wrong?"

Sakura quickly put on a fake grin to hide her true expression. "Oh nothing. That one, uh, might take a while to tell about."

 _"I thought you were about to take lunch. That seems like plenty of time to me. Information about what?"_ she thought. "You pick then."

Sakura scratched her head nervously. She had almost let it slip. Sarada knew nothing about what Sasuke had done. Sakura and Sasuke argued multiple times about this. He was eventually going to tell her at some point, so why not tell her as soon as possible and get it over with? She had always warned him about it definitely being a possibility for her to find out another way. No matter how many times the subject came up, Sasuke would always put it off. "Um... What about some of the fights that happened the first time I took the Chunin Exams?"

Sarada immediately beamed. "Yes please! I memorized all of the matches that took place that year, but I've never actually heard a detailed description of them. Is it true that the current Kazekage went berserk?"

Her mother nodded hesitantly. "There was a lot happening for him at the time, but, Naruto changed him. It was really incredible."

The girl shifted her glasses. "I bet. Will you tell me about the match with Lee-oji and Gaara-sama?"

Sakura was happy to stay away from the "other subject". On their way into town, she told her daughter all about the memorable match. They decided to eat at a small outdoor restaurant. As an even bigger surprise, Lee himself had heard them speaking about the match and retold it in his own words, his son paying attention to every little detail. When they left, Sarada had an awkward smile present on her lips. "Has he always been that, um, weird?"

The pink-haired kunoichi giggled. "I guess you can say that he's always been somewhat of an oddball. You know, he used to have a crush on me."

Sarada slammed a hand down on the table. "Really?! What did you say?"

"Well, I already liked someone else and I tried to let him down easily. It was kind of difficult because of how nice he was to me."

The girl rested her head on top of her crossed arms that were lying on the table. "Was it Tou-chan?"

Her mother turned a light shade of red when she nodded. "He didn't come around until a while later though."

Sarada gasped. "Really? I asked him who his first kiss was and he said it was you. I just thought you had been together for a long time then. Ino-oba told me pretty much every girl in the village was after him back then."

Sakura gazed at the table. _"Sasuke-kun, you're such a liar,"_ she thought, referring to the first kiss part. "That's the truth. However, your father ignored all of them. He was very private in those days, even more so than now."

She frowned. "I've read something before that talked about the Uchiha massacre. It didn't say who did it, just that Tou-chan was the only survivor. Is that why he was really private? I've never asked him about what happened. The only thing he's ever told me is that my real uncle, Itachi-oji, had something to do with it. I really want to know more about our clan."

Sakura smiled sadly. Sasuke had told her about Itachi many times. When she learned the truth about him and the massacre of the Uchihas, she had come to understand all of her husband's actions. She wondered what the outcome would be if he were to talk with their daughter about it soon. "I think you're old enough now to hear about some of these things. I'll talk to him about it, but you should definitely ask about what the clan was like. You deserve to know at least that much."

Sarada sat up and sighed, but she had an excited expression present on her features. She chuckled quietly. "When did you two fall in love?"

Sakura immediately turned red. "That's quite a story." She didn't want to upset her daughter, but she also wanted to avoid mentioning Sasuke's past. "Well, he had been on a long journey for about three or so years."

They exited the restaurant and walked back to the hospital. Sarada narrowed her eyes. "That long? Does it have to do with why he leaves us now?"

"Yes, it does have something to do with why he leaves us constantly. It was a mission only he could go on."

"Only Tou-chan? Is it really important?"

"To him it is."

"Why? No one has ever said a word to me about why he leaves. What's more important to him than us?" Sarada asked, traces of anger in her voice.

They reached the hospital. Sakura stopped outside the door, crouching down so that she was level with her daughter. "Sarada, I can promise you that nothing is more important to your father than you and I."

"Then why does he keep leaving us?" she asked, tears threatening to spill from her onyx orbs.

Sakura put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "If you want a direct answer, you'll have to ask him yourself."

She wiped her eyes before any tears could fall. She quickly smiled as she remembered the rest of the conversation. "So how did you two fall in love again?"

Sakura chuckled. "I have to get back to work." She tapped Sarada's forehead and opened the front door. "I'll tell you next time."

Sarada pouted and touched the spot her mother had tapped, turning and going in the opposite direction. "Why do you and Tou-chan keep tapping my forehead all the time?" she muttered to herself.

* * *

Boruto staggered to where Sasuke sat on the boulder Sarada had repeatedly attempted to smash. He hunched over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. "I'm done," he panted.

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Do another lap," he ordered.

"What?! I've already done like twenty laps around the village! When are we actually gonna do something useful?!"

Sasuke frowned in disgust. "You want something more productive? Wait here." With a puff of smoke, he disappeared. Boruto stood up and mocked his master. "Do another lap! Blah, blah, blah!"

"What are you going on about?" someone asked.

He turned in curiosity to see Sarada approaching him. The boy's mood immediately improved. "Oh, hey! What's up?"

"Nothing much. What's going on here? Why do you look like you're about to pass out?"

He chuckled and continued to try and catch his breath. "Your old man has been making me run laps around the village. I said I wanted something more challenging and he told me to wait here."

She smirked. "Be careful what you wish for," his friend warned him.

He waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Hey, I still want to train with you some time."

She blushed lightly and averted her gaze away from him. "Why are you still going on about that? You're supposed to be training with my dad."

He cocked his head to the side. "Oh, come on! It'll be fun! We can help each other. Some day I want to fight you."

She took a step back out of shock. "W-Why me?"

He grinned. "You're almost always top of the class in everything. If I want to be the best, I have to beat the best!"

A dark shade of red appeared as she fully twisted around so that she had her back to him. "Y-You think I'm top of the class?"

"Heck yeah! You're always beating me at everything! Shino-sensei even said you were."

She controlled herself and faced him once more. "Why would you want to train with me if we're rivals?"

He put a hand on her shoulder, making her look up in surprise. "We can be rivals and best friends at the same time, right?"

She was speechless. All she could do was stare at the eager boy in front of her. Someone coughed in an attempt for attention. Both Boruto and Sarada twisted their heads around to see Sasuke, who looked to be very furious. Sarada removed Boruto's hand from her shoulder, thinking that was the reason. In truth, that was only part of it. Sasuke was livid with the boy for many reasons and this was added to the list.

"Hmph!" Boruto huffed. "So what do you have for me that's supposedly more productive?"

An evil smirk grew on Sasuke's face. "Glad you asked." He held out Boruto's backpack.

"Where did you-?! I didn't even bring that with me today!" the Uzumaki shouted in disbelief.

Sasuke's smirk widened as he threw the backpack down in front of the boy. It landed with a loud thud. Boruto crouched and unzipped his bag. He grabbed one of the items inside. "You filled it with rocks?! Where is my stuff?!"

Sasuke pointed upwards and both Genin shifted their gazes to follow his finger. Boruto slapped both of his hands on top of his head. Tied to the very top of perhaps a hundred foot tree were the things that had been in the backpack.

Sasuke ignored the Genin's curses. "You are to do five laps around the village while carrying your backpack filled with rocks. When you are done with that, you may retrieve your belongings. However, if you don't finish within two hours, I will set the tree on fire, starting with where your belongings are located. You better hurry because I've already started the timer." He set the object on a low hanging branch and sat down on top of the boulder.

Boruto was cursing under his breath as he zipped his bag up. He wobbled for a few seconds after throwing it on his back. Before long, he was off, still cursing quietly.

Sarada glanced back and forth between her father and Boruto. "Don't you think this is a little... extreme?"

He continued to stare after the boy. "No, I could've made it worse."

She hopped on top of the boulder and sat down beside him. Sasuke put a hand on her head and stroked her hair. "Where did you run of to a while ago?"

She had a small flash of anger, remembering how she was ignored. "I ate lunch with Kaa-chan. She was going to go on break a little early anyway."

He removed his hand. "Hn, we ate."

The younger Uchiha smirked. "Did you make him do laps for his?"

Sasuke placed a hand under his chin and rested an elbow on one of his knees. "I'm not that cruel."

"I don't believe you," she replied jokingly.

The man rolled his eyes.

Sarada was getting anxious. She really wanted to ask about the Uchiha clan's history, but what if he refused? Even her mother said she deserved to know at least that. "T-Tou-chan? Will you tell me about our clan?"

Sasuke gazed at her in surprise. _"She wants to know about the clan? I-I can't..."_ He sighed. "No."

She was crestfallen. "W-Why not?"

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?! Boruto is gone!"

"Sarada!"

She shuffled away from him, clearly taken aback by the sudden outburst. _"I knew this would happen..."_ She couldn't stop the tears from falling when she turned around and hugged her knees. "I'm sorry... I'll never ask you again..."

He was quick to silently curse himself for his actions. He was already frustrated, but there had been no need to take it out on his daughter. Besides, she was just curious about the clan. What harm could be done if he told her a few things? It's not like he had to tell her about the curse or the massacre, or about his past in general. He still wasn't ready for that. It'd been complicated enough to tell Sakura.

Sasuke pivoted in her direction so that he faced her back. He saw the tears rolling down her cheeks and hardly resisted the urge to set himself on fire. He gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, quit crying. I'm sorry. I've got a lot on my mind and Boruto aggravates me quite a bit sometimes."

She wiped the tears away and cautiously twisted around to sit beside him again.

He noticed that she still appeared to be slightly frightened. Sasuke crossed his legs and slapped his hands on his lap a couple times. "Come here."

Sarada glanced at him curiously. "You want me to sit in your lap?"

"Yes. I haven't seen you in six months, now come here."

"Tou-chan, that's really embarrassing. What if Boruto sees me doing it? He'll tease me."

"I'll burn his stuff the moment he does. Now get your butt over here and sit in your papa's lap!"

She smiled for an instant at his playful persistence. Looking around in all directions, she saw that no one was nearby. Sighing, she reluctantly sat in her father's lap and crossed her arms. "I'm not five."

He chuckled. "I don't care. You're always going to be my little girl."

"You're embarrassing me again..."

Another chuckle. "Good, maybe it will help keep the boys away."

She slapped his leg. "Quit it!" She uncrossed her arms and leaned back against his chest.

He caught a glimpse of her smiling and couldn't resist giving a small one himself. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Sasuke remembered her question. "What do you want to know about the Uchiha clan?"

Sarada seemed surprised by how willing he was to answer. "Anything really. I don't know very much. I know that we wear the crest. I've heard a little about the Sharingan and the... massacre."

He frowned at her hesitance to say the last part, but acted as if he hadn't noticed. "Hm... I don't know where to begin. Well, all Uchihas have dark hair, you and I. Your mother doesn't have dark hair because her parents weren't of the Uchiha bloodline."

"Duh! I already knew that. We visit Jii-chan and Baa-chan all the time. Heck, you come with us a lot. One thing I don't understand though, why does Kaa-chan have pink hair?"

Sasuke laughed quietly. "I don't think even Sakura can answer that one herself."

For the next hour, Sasuke told his daughter all about what the Uchiha clan was like. Boruto passed them twice in that time, but instead of jeering at his friend, he had averted his eyes away from her and grinned from ear to ear. She was clearly happy and that's all it took to make him happy.

"The Uchiha clan's signature chakra nature is fire," Sasuke explained further, just after Boruto had come around the second time.

"Do I have that chakra nature?" Sarada asked.

"I'm pretty sure you do," he responded.

"I don't know any fire style jutsu," she stated. "To be honest, none of us Genin really know much yet. Kaa-chan has been teaching me basic medical ninjutsu and you saw me trying to smash this boulder." She laughed. "Kaa-chan hauled this thing out here just for me."

Sasuke smirked. "So based on what you're telling me, my daughter is a prodigy."

She giggled and scratched her head. "I wouldn't say prodigy."

He sighed. "Boruto seems to think you're a prodigy. I heard you were top of the class."

"Y-You heard all that?"

"That was the part I paid the most attention to," he replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm proud of you."

"Hn, thanks."

"I assume since you're learning medical ninjutsu that your chakra control is flawless?"

The girl shrugged. "I guess."

"I have something to show you."

She stood up and curiously watched as he did the same. Sasuke walked to a tree beside the one with Boruto's belongings attached to it. He motioned for her to follow and she obeyed. He took a couple of steps up the side of the trunk and asked if she had ever done it. The girl said yes and they made their way to the very top of the large tree, about a hundred feet up.

Sasuke hopped onto the very tip. Sarada was standing on a branch right below him. "What did you want to show me?" she asked.

"Watch carefully," he said. Sasuke made sure that her attention was unwavering. He weaved multiple hand signs and cupped one hand in front of his mouth to direct the flames.

Sarada gasped and had her eyes glued to the gigantic fireball soaring across the sky.

Sasuke let his hand fall to his side. He peered at his daughter through the corner of his eye. A look of awe and wonder was plastered to her features, the fireball making her eyes twinkle. "That was amazing!"

He stepped onto a lower branch. "Your turn."

She froze. "You're going to teach me how to do it?"

He crossed his arms. "I didn't bring you up here just to show off."

Sasuke taught her everything she needed to know in order to perform the jutsu.

Boruto came around the third time, panting and sweating buckets. He paused to catch his breath and noticed the small balls of fire that kept appearing in the sky. He shook his head in amusement when he saw both of the Uchihas standing atop the tree. That was the only thing keeping him going at the moment, seeing Sarada happy. He knew that if he quit now then it would end up in an argument between himself and Sasuke, ruining everything. Speaking of not stopping, he desperately needed to get going soon. The timer showed that he only had about thirty minutes to complete two more laps before his stuff would get burnt to a crisp.

He finished the fourth lap quicker than he expected. Seventeen minutes left to finish. _"I'm so tired, but I can't stop! I wanted this kind of challenge and I have to finish it! There's no way I'll let this old fart get the best of me like this!"_ A surge of confidence rushed through the boy. "I have to keep going," he muttered under his breath, stumbling forward. "There's no way I'm gonna lose, Dattebasa!"

* * *

Sarada wiped her brow.

Sasuke nodded his approval. "You've almost got it."

"It's no where near the size of yours."

"It takes years of practicing for one that big. For someone who just started, you're doing great." Sasuke looked down and noticed a small figure coming closer. "Hn, seems like he's almost done. We better go down." Sasuke led Sarada onto the side of the tree and they began their descent.

Boruto ran the last stretch and waited for his master to speak. The male Uchiha stopped the timer. "Not bad. Forty-seven seconds left. I'm impressed. You can get your belongings now."

The boy dumped out the rocks in his bag. Sighing, he hoisted himself up on the first branch and continued onto the second. He had not attempted to climb trees using only his feet, but he was determined to get his things no matter what he had to do.

Worry took over Sarada's senses. "Can I help him? What if he falls?"

"I've got it under control," Sasuke answered. _"She's only concerned because she doesn't want her, friend, to get hurt. It's nothing else but that,"_ he silently reassured himself.

It took the Uzumaki another twenty minutes to climb back down after retrieving his belongings. He dropped his backpack when he reached one of the last few branches. The instant his feet touched the ground, he collapsed and landed on his back with his arms and legs flung outwards beside him. "Hey, Sarada?" he breathed.

She peered at him through the corner of her eye.

He smiled and closed his blue orbs. "That jutsu you were doing a minute ago... it was really cool... You're pretty good..."

The female Uchiha blushed lightly. "Uh... thanks. I'm surprised you finished those laps on time and still managed to get your things afterwards. That's really impressive."

"Really? You think so?" he questioned excitedly.

She rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot," she teased.

"Maybe a little," he added truthfully. "I think your old man is gonna kill me before the day is over with this kind of training."

She smirked. "I told you to be careful what you wished for."

After minutes of silence between the two Genin, Boruto groaned and sat up. "Do you remember what I said earlier?" he inquired, making sure that Sasuke wasn't nearby.

"About what?"

"Training with me."

She hugged her knees, worry taking over her features. "I don't know. When would we do it anyway?"

He thought hard for a moment. Glancing around once more, he leaned in. "Sneak out tomorrow night and meet me here."

She gasped. "Sneak out?!"

He covered her mouth. "Shh!"

Sarada slapped his hand away and moved closer. "Sneak out? My parents will kill me if they find out."

The boy put a hand on her shoulder. "Mine would do the same. I promise I won't let you get in trouble. I'll take all the blame if we get caught."

She blushed. "You'd do that for me?"

Their faces were mere inches away now. They could feel the other's breath hitting their skin. Boruto's expression softened. "Anything for you."

The young Uchiha turned a dark shade of red and shifted her glasses. Sarada was speechless.

"Why are you so close to my daughter?"

Boruto screamed and jumped up, only to fall back down after stumbling backwards a couple of steps. Sarada yelped and jolted back. Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, directly behind where they had originally been sitting. He seemed to be waiting for an answer, his glare and frown towards the boy stone cold.

Boruto had trouble thinking under this kind of pressure. It was almost as if Sasuke was staring into his soul...

"I asked you a question," the male Uchiha said in a demanding tone.

The boy desperately thought of something to say. "I-I was uh-"

"He was about to pass out and I told him he could use me as support," Sarada interrupted. "I didn't want him to hurt himself if he hit his head or something."

Sasuke shifted his gaze back to the terrified Uzumaki.

Boruto gulped and finally comprehended what his friend had just said. "Y-Yeah! I got REALLY dizzy and Sarada was just trying to help me out!"

The Genin waited in silence for Sasuke's response. It was so quiet that you could hear a pen drop.

Finally, Sasuke sighed. "Next time, use the tree that's right behind you."

The Uzumaki glanced behind him to see that, sure enough, there was a tree there. It was the one he had climbed to get his belongings. Boruto turned back to Sasuke and nodded nervously. "Sure thing!"

Later that day, Boruto was about to head home. His body was aching from the intense training he had endured during the course of the day. Nonetheless, he acted like he was fine and caught Sarada's attention before he left. "So do you want to train tomorrow night?"

She nervously glanced at her father and turned back to Boruto with a small smile. "Sure. We can train tomorrow night."

He turned and gave her a thumbs up before running home with a grin stretched from ear to ear.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** What do you guys think of the new Boruto movie trailers? I think they're pretty cool and that it'll be a good movie. By the way, someone asked for my social accounts. I'm not going to say right now, but maybe later. Please review!


	4. Extra Training

**Author's Note:** Thanks for waiting patiently for this chapter. Also, thanks so much for the support!

* * *

Sarada sat on her bed, staring at a photo of herself and her parents. The picture had been taken a long time ago, perhaps when she was only three or four. Sakura had told her that it was one of the only pictures Sasuke had ever smiled for, even though it was barely visible. The young kunoichi almost had to squint in order to see it. When she gently placed the photo back down onto the dresser in its original position, a smile crept its way onto her lips. Lying on the bed once more, her gaze shifted to the closed window. The grin quickly morphed into a frown. _"Boruto, if we get in trouble tonight..."_ The Uchiha had been worrying nonstop about her plans to sneak out and train with her friend that night. The last thing she wanted to happen was for them to get caught and suffer who knows what kind of punishment. The boy promised her that everything would be fine and she was going to hold him to his word. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in."

Sasuke slowly entered his daughter's room. "Why are you always up so early?"

She smirked. "I could ask you the same thing."

He rolled his eyes and sat beside her on the bed. "We just received word from the Hokage that you'll be put into teams as soon as the Academy is repaired. That means I'm staying."

"For good?" Sarada asked eagerly.

"Maybe," he replied.

"Wait, why would you stay for that?" she questioned curiously. _"Is he trying to make up for missing the graduation ceremony?"_

"Take a guess. What do adults have to do with the teams?"

A huge smile slowly grew on her features at the realization. "No way! You're really gonna do it?! You're going to have a team?"

"Hn," he turned to face her, "and Naruto has already assigned us our squads."

She tugged on his shirt sleeve. "Who did you get? I know you're not supposed to tell but it can be our little secret."

Sasuke smirked at his daughter's persistence. "You'll find out soon enough."

Sarada crossed her arms and pouted.

He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. "I think you'll like your sensei."

"You aren't going to tell me who it is are you?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

The young kunoichi sighed. "Do you like your team?"

The man pondered for a minute. "Hm... They seem like a decent bunch. I already know their skills and a little about their personalities."

She smiled again. "Can you at least tell me who my teammates are?"

"No, but I think you will like them as well," he responded knowingly.

"What's with the 'think' stuff?"

He shrugged. "Well, I'm not sure if they're your closer friends or not. I am sure you're friends with them though."

She glared at him through the corner of her eye. "Tou-chan, I have a lot of friends so that doesn't really help."

Sasuke smirked once more. "That's the point. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"I don't like surprises," she complained.

"You have to deal with it this time."

"Hmph!" she grumbled, shuffling out of her father's grasp.

He stared at her, clearly amused. "It won't hurt to wait another week or so."

She couldn't help but grin. "That's easy for you to say. You already know everything about the teams." Sarada decided to push further, knowing she still would not get an answer. "Is my sensei a man or a woman?"

"Sarada," he warned playfully, "if you don't stop then I won't let you go to the Academy that day."

She immediately silenced herself. There was another knock on the door and Sarada gave the person permission to enter. Sakura walked in, appearing to be slightly nervous. Today was her only off day until Saturday.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he noticed her expression. "What's wrong?"

"Well," she began, "I just got a call asking for a babysitter and they said they had no one else to turn to."

Sarada furrowed her brow. "Babysit? Who?"

Sakura scratched her head and chuckled timidly, turning to Sasuke.

"Great," he muttered, figuring out who it was in an instant. "I actually thought I was going to get a break from him."

"Both of the children will be staying. Naruto has to work and Hinata has to help with an emergency at the Hyuga compound."

Sarada's lips separated slightly. She didn't know if she could cope with the mounting pressure of keeping their late night training session a secret. She hoped Boruto would act cool about it when he arrived and maybe that would assist her in staying calm.

Sasuke's expression remained stoic. "You two and Himawari need to help me keep my sanity."

* * *

Boruto crossed his arms and groaned. He didn't mind going over to his friend's house for a while. The thing bothering him was that it was so early in the morning. Naruto had gotten up slightly later than usual for the sake of his children, but it didn't help much. Suddenly, Boruto's eyes widened when he remembered something his father had mentioned earlier that morning. "Tou-chan, please tell me who my teammates are!"

Naruto smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to wait."

He huffed in annoyance. "I assume my sensei is Sasuke-oji?"

The Hokage tilted his head to the side. "Maybe, maybe not."

"Ugh!" he pouted. _"Tou-chan is such an old fart..."_

"Okay, I'm ready," Hinata announced as she exited the bathroom. "Himawari, it's time to go sweetie!"

The young girl trudged out of her room with half closed eyes, undoubtedly exhausted. When she walked down the stairs, Naruto picked her up and she immediately fell asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. "Are you coming with me to drop the kids off?" he softly asked his wife.

She smiled and nodded.

Throughout the entire trip to the Uchiha household, Boruto wondered if Sarada still intended to sneak out and meet him at the training grounds that night. If she chickened out, he was going to try and convince her once again. He didn't understand the urge of wanting to train with her so badly, but he guessed it was because he didn't want to be left behind. He knew that Sarada was ahead of him in terms of ninja training and he needed to catch up. _"Her parents have taught her some stuff. Meanwhile, mine could care less... Kaa-chan is always busy being, well, a mom. Tou-chan is Hokage, but still... And I don't understand what Sasuke-oji is trying to teach me with all of those laps and everything..."_ He frowned and clenched his fists in frustration. The boy gasped when he felt a hand on top of his head.

Naruto peeked around his daughter's sleeping form to look down at his son with a warm smile.

Boruto kept his expression and pushed the older male's hand away. He stepped out of the Nanadaime's reach and shoved his hands into his pockets, turning his head in the opposite direction.

Naruto looked taken aback. Hinata noticed their exchange and put a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder. He was clearly upset.

* * *

Sarada sat on the couch and stared at the ceiling. All she wanted to do at the moment was enjoy the peace and quiet before the Uzumakis arrived, specifically Boruto.

Sasuke came into the room, examining something on his torso. "I need a bigger vest," he declared.

Sakura walked out of the kitchen and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stop eating every tomato in sight," she said jokingly.

He smirked and shook his head, taking a seat on the couch beside his daughter while fiddling with his vest. Sasuke closed his eyes. "I'm going to try and take a nap before they get here."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Sasuke lazily opened his mismatched eyes and sighed. "Of course..."

Sakura hurried to the door and opened it, quietly greeting the Uzumaki family so as to not wake Himawari up. Sasuke and Sarada retreated from the couch to let Naruto lay his daughter on it. Boruto shuffled through the doorway in between the adults and stood in the corner of the room with his arms crossed. "Are you guys always up early?" he asked Sarada. She shrugged in reply. They watched the group of adults chat by the door. Boruto put on a half smile, trying to improve his own mood. "Did you and your dad have fun yesterday?"

She nodded once. "Yeah, I guess so. What's wrong with you? You look grumpier than usual."

He frowned. "Just tired."

The adults finally finished their conversation and the door was closed.

"Boruto-kun," Sakura began, "have you had breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry. Thanks though," he responded while turning to Sarada. "Did you hear about us being put into teams soon?"

She nodded happily and cocked her head towards Sasuke, who was currently reading a newspaper in a chair located next to the couch. "Tou-chan is getting a team. I tried to make him give me details but he wouldn't budge."

The young Uzumaki's mood drastically improved, a mischievous plan coming to mind. "I think the both of us together can break him." They shared an evil grin prior to approaching the male Uchiha.

Sasuke glanced up from his newspaper. "Can I help you two?"

"Oji-san, I hear you've been assigned a team," Boruto said.

The Uchiha folded his newspaper and glared at the Genin. "If I have already refused to tell my own daughter anything, what makes you think I'll tell you?"

Boruto put on the "cutest" smile he could muster and motioned for Sarada to do the same. She copied the action and the pair stared at Sasuke's unfazed form. "Can you resist the faces of both of these adorable Genin?" Boruto asked through his closed teeth.

Sasuke smirked. "This face," he began while pinching Sarada's cheek, "is very tempting." He shifted his gaze to the Uzumaki. "This face leaves me quite frightened and makes me want to vomit."

"Hmph!" the boy snorted.

Himawari woke up about an hour later and was momentarily eating. Sasuke was lying on the couch. Sarada and Boruto were in her room with the door wide open, which had been a law set by Sasuke.

The whiskered male saw something sticking out from under her covers and tugged on the object until he could fully see it. It was a toy dinosaur. He held it up and chuckled. "Really?"

Sarada snatched the stuffed animal away from her friend. "Tou-chan gave it to me. He said his older brother got it for him when he was little."

He raised an eyebrow. "Your dad has a brother?"

She nodded. "Itachi-oji died a long time ago, before I was born."

 _"Uchiha Itachi... Where have I heard that name before?"_ Boruto pondered. He shook the thought out of his mind. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Just come on."

The girl frowned and followed him out of her room. They walked down the hallway with no clear destination in mind. Boruto glanced at every door they passed. He had stayed at her house many times, but it still wasn't enough to know what was in each room of the manor. He finally stopped in front of a room he'd never set foot in, reaching for the handle. Sarada quickly caught his wrist.

"We shouldn't go in there," she warned, letting go of him.

"Why not? What's in there?" he asked curiously.

"It's my parents' study."

"Did they say you weren't allowed to go in there?" he questioned further.

"Well," she began awkwardly, "no, but- Hey!"

The boy had already opened the door and entered the room. Sarada looked in all directions before following and soundlessly closing the door behind her so her parents wouldn't get suspicious. _"As long as he stays away from my dad's things in that chest..."_

Boruto scanned the room with interest. "You guys sure do have a lot of stuff in here," he noted, pressing a button on the computer. He grabbed a few of the books scattered around the room and studied them. "Do you ever come in here?"

"Sometimes. Don't mess with everything."

He huffed in annoyance and peered around once more, searching for anything else to cure his boredom. His gaze landed on a trunk positioned at the opposite side of the room. He pointed at it. "What's in that?"

She stepped in front of him. "My dad's stuff. Don't touch it."

He shoved past her and crouched next to the chest, pulling it closer to gain better access. Sarada twisted him around and grabbed one of his shoulders. "I said don't mess with it."

Boruto slapped her hand away. "Relax, I'm just gonna take a peek inside."

The young kunoichi grabbed his jacket sleeve before he could turn back to the chest once more. "Boruto, I'm serious."

He grew very angry at her strange persistence. What was wrong about taking a look inside the chest? "What's got you so uptight all of a sudden? Chill out." With this, he pushed her back a few feet and returned his attention to the trunk. He reached out to undo the first latch when Sarada roughly gripped both of his wrists and pinned him on top of the box.

"I'm not joking!" she exclaimed. "If my dad finds out I looked at what's in that chest..."

He made no attempt to break free of her hold, anger disappearing from his system. "If we get caught I'll say-!"

"No! Boruto, please don't," she pleaded.

He quickly noticed her serious tone. "Fine," he agreed. "Get off me."

She frowned and released him, crossing her arms. "Can we go now?"

"Whatever," he replied indifferently, opening the door and taking a step out of the room. "Hey, we're still gonna train tonight, right?"

Sarada had nearly forgotten about their plans to train that night. "I guess."

"Meet me at midnight," he replied.

* * *

Naruto sat in his office, staring out a window while taking a short break from reading and signing a stack of documents. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, wondering if Hinata had returned and gotten their children. A frown made its way to his features when he remembered the way his son acted that morning. _"Boruto, I wish we were closer these days. What happened?"_ His thoughts drifted to a memory of himself and Boruto when he was very little.

* * *

Naruto looked all around the kitchen for something to eat. It was raining very hard outside, the storm raging on. Hinata had gone to the market, not knowing that it would rain. She was probably stuck where she was at the moment since the storm was so bad. Their son was currently up in his room, probably playing with some toys. The Hokage had left work early so he could watch his son. "Aha!" he exclaimed, reaching into the back of the refrigerator. He dug the item out and placed it on the counter, eagerly rubbing his hands and licking his lips. "Ramen!" His mood soured, remembering that he had a very important letter in the mail. "Should I get all wet and possibly struck by lightning, or wait?"

Minutes later, he ran outside with a towel over his head. Although, it didn't keep him from getting soaked. The Uzumaki could barely see the mailbox as he grabbed the small door and pulled it open. His hand finally touched the letter and he yanked it out, tucking the envelope into one of his pockets.

When Naruto walked into the house, he discovered that the power had gone out. The loud rumble of thunder filling the area since he closed the door finally stopped. Naruto set the soaked towel down to dry and curiously glanced up when he heard something that sounded like crying. It turned into sobs.

"Bolt?" Naruto asked. "BOLT?!" he repeated urgently when there was no answer. He wasted no time in running to his son's room and busting the door open, nearly making it come off the hinges. There were loud sobs coming from the corner of the room. Naruto cautiously looked in the direction of the noises and saw a lump with a blanket over it, repeatedly moving with its sobs. "Bolt?" He removed the blanket to find the boy appearing to be utterly terrified, curled up in a ball. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

The little boy sniffed and rubbed his eyes, hugging a stuffed animal. "I heard da funt door and tot you lef me. Den da lights wen out and I got more scayud."

Naruto smiled sadly, adoring how his son talked. At the same time he was heartbroken that his son thought he left. "Tou-chan would never leave you."

Boruto stared at his father in wonder. A flash of lightning illuminated the room and thunder sounded, causing him to pull the covers up to his chin and whimper.

Naruto tugged them down again, this time shuffling so that he was directly beside the boy. "Tou-chan will always be here for you. I promise."

Boruto nodded while grinning, sniffing and wiping the rest of his tears away. He moved closer to Naruto and tried to wrap his tiny arms around him. "I love you Tou-chan..."

Naruto smiled and hugged his son back. "I love you too Bolt..."

* * *

Naruto frowned sorrowfully while he finished reminiscing over the memory. He stared at their family photo on his desk. "I don't know what to do," he whispered to himself.

* * *

Sarada glanced at the clock to see that there was only about half an hour until midnight. She shakily stood up and breathed deeply in an attempt to calm herself. The Uchiha placed her bag onto the bed's edge and checked to see if she had all the weapons and supplies she needed. The Genin took the forehead protector and wrapped it around her head after putting on her training outfit. Then, the girl slipped her sandals on along with a pair of long arm guards. She was just about to open a window when a possibility came to mind. _"What if Kaa-chan and Tou-chan are still awake?"_ She glanced towards the door, biting her lower lip. _"Screw it."_ Sarada carefully opened her window and maneuvered through the opening.

After quite some time of running and jumping on tree branches, the training grounds finally came in sight. She could see Boruto hopping off of a branch, arriving at the same time she was.

"Did you get out okay?" he asked as they met up.

"Hn, yeah. You?"

He nodded.

"So what now?" she questioned, crossing her arms.

The boy shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know?! You're the one who asked me to train with you! I thought you would've had some idea of how we were gonna train!"

"Calm down!" he commanded. "To be honest I didn't think you would come."

Sarada raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Why is that?"

"Because you're such a goody goody. When's the last time you actually did something bad?" he responded.

* * *

 _"Little dobe! Why are you meeting my daughter out this late?!"_ Sasuke furiously thought to himself as he quietly shuffled around, switching his sitting position in the bushes.

At home, he had woken up and knew immediately that something was out of the ordinary. In his own words, his "father senses were tingling". He noiselessly traveled to his daughter's room, finding the window wide open and Sarada not in the room. Sticking his head out of the opening, he saw his daughter's form way off in the distance. Now here Sasuke was, a mixture of emotions surging through him. Why would his sweet, innocent, and perfect daughter sneak out to meet Uzumaki Boruto?!

"That one time when," Sarada began, "when I..."

Boruto chuckled and shook his head. "Live a little. That's exactly what I'm trying to teach you."

Her lips separated slightly when she tried to find the right words for a comeback, but none came. "Idiot," she muttered.

"Hmph!" he snorted, twisting his head away. He was afraid to ask her about helping him learn something, or anything for that matter. Boruto scratched his head and coughed. "Sarada, will you teach me some, uh... stuff?"

The young kunoichi blushed lightly, clearly dumbfounded by his abrupt inquiry. "Y-You want me to... I thought my dad was training you."

"He doesn't come around a lot. I know that he's getting a team and all too, but... I just, I know that I'm behind everyone! All these things your old man's trying to teach me, I know that it's stuff that's going to help me!"

"Then why do you need me?"

"You're at the top of the class and I'm at the bottom! I need all the help I can get if I want to be a good ninja, even if that means having more than one teacher!"

Sasuke furrowed his brow. So the reason they were here was to train? He had been holding off on Boruto's major training lately because of the selections for their teams. Every time he met with him to improve his skills, the boy had mentioned being the lowest in the class. Part of the reason Boruto hadn't advanced in his skill levels was because he lacked motivation. He had once said the only thing keeping him going was his determination to escape the shadow Naruto unintentionally cast over him. Boruto wanted to be someone other than "the son of the Nanadaime Hokage". Sasuke's thoughts drifted back to the present when the Uzumaki put both of his hands on Sarada's shoulders. _"Try something dobe. I dare you,"_ Sasuke thought menacingly.

"Sarada, please," Boruto begged.

She stared into his blue eyes and saw great determination.

"I'm behind the rest of you guys at the Academy," he repeated, extremely serious. His lips were set into a thin line as they stared at each other, their gazes unwavering. "I don't want to be left behind."

The young Uchiha's mind drew a complete blank. Not once had she ever heard this boy so earnest. Sarada finally found the will to speak. "Boruto, I... Okay, I'll help you."

The Uzumaki lit up in an instant, wrapping his arms around her and pulling the girl into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much Sarada!"

Sasuke had to look away in order for his resistance to hold, clenching handfuls of grass. _"They are just hugging. He is happy and they are friends. Friends who are happy hug each other,"_ the male Uchiha reassured himself. _"Who am I kidding?! This little punk is definitely up to something more than just training!"_

"Let go of me dobe!" Sarada exclaimed. "I may not be able to smash a boulder yet, but that doesn't mean I can't break your ribs!"

He immediately released her from his hold. "Sorry. So what's first?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I've never done anything like this before. What are you having trouble with?"

 _"Everything really..."_ Boruto pursed his lips in deep thought. "Um... You know any cool taijutsu moves?"

Sarada smirked and shifted her glasses. "I'm no specialist in taijutsu, but I guess I know some stuff. Come at me!"

"What?!" he gasped in surprise.

"You heard me. Come at me with everything you've got," she replied confidently.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You said you wanted to fight me one day."

"Not right now! I don't stand a chance!"

"You asked me to help you and that's what I'm doing. Do you want to get stronger or not?"

"Yeah!"

"Then toughen up and fight me Uzumaki!"

His teeth were grinding together when he rushed forward and threw a wild punch. She easily dodged it and tripped him. The boy quickly rolled over and got back to his feet. He didn't move.

"Waiting for me to attack?" Sarada asked, clearly intrigued. "All right, if that's what you want." She sped towards her friend and fought with full force, keeping him on his toes.

Sasuke was thoroughly enjoying the scene unfolding before him. For more than thirty minutes he watched his daughter beat the crap out of the boy, who still hadn't given up.

"I'm at least gonna win one round against you!" Boruto declared, panting. He lunged forward. She blocked all of his kicks and punches with ease. The Uzumaki was extremely frustrated with himself. _"I can't let her beat me this bad! I haven't gotten a single good hit on her yet!"_ He was brought back to reality when she grabbed his ankle, making him fall face first into the dirt. She quickly snagged one of his arms and pinned it behind his back, putting her foot down on it. The next thing he knew, a kunai was pressed to his neck.

Sarada sighed and shifted her glasses with a free hand. "The reason you aren't hitting me is because everything you do is wild. You're not using any strategy whatsoever. Blindly rushing in isn't very effective, knucklehead."

He squeezed his eyes shut when she pressed down harder on his arm. "Why didn't you tell me any of that when we started?!"

"Well for one, a baby would know that you have to use strategy during a battle. Two," she paused to smirk, "I was having fun kicking your butt." She released her grip on him and stepped back a couple feet. "Now come at me like you mean it."

Sasuke was highly intrigued by Sarada's skills. They were probably even sharper than his own when he was her age. The entire time the two Genin had been training, she had managed to evade or block every single one of Boruto's attacks.

Boruto stood still in deep thought. _"Strategy... What can I do? Think! What has Sasuke-oji taught me?"_ He listed the different moves and attacks he could use in this situation. He noted that he hadn't performed one perfectly yet. _"I'm gonna use my best move, even though I'm not sure if it'll work or not because I haven't done it exactly right. Oh well, I have to try something!"_ He rubbed his hands together and bit his lip. _"Here goes nothing!"_

Sarada tilted her head towards Boruto when she noticed him shuffling around. She increased her awareness due to the possibility of him having something good up his sleeve. The Uzumaki charged at the Uchiha. He jumped into the air and drew his arm back, turning his body sideways. _"Hm, what's this?"_ Sarada thought, getting in position to block. His fist fired forward when he was directly in front of her, still in mid-air. She caught it with ease. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he used every bit of strength he had to kick at her other side. Sarada grabbed his leg and smirked, but she saw that he was also smirking, leading her to gasp in shock. His other foot appeared in the corner of her eye, but it was too late. His sandal connected with the girl's ear, making the Uchiha let go of him in bewilderment.

 _"Now to finish it!"_ Boruto thought excitedly. He planted his palms on the ground and performed a leg sweep while she was still dazed. Her back hit the hard ground with a thud and the Uzumaki took the opportunity to crouch on top of her, holding a kunai to her neck. "Gotcha!"

Sarada opened her eyes and tried to comprehend what had just taken place. "Hn, looks like you're not as hopeless as I thought you were." She rubbed her ear after he removed the kunai and hopped off of her. "That hurt."

"Consider it payback for beating me up that long," he mocked with satisfactory.

Sasuke scowled from where he sat in the bushes. _"He got one lucky hit... I'm still proud of Sarada. She controlled the fight almost the entire time."_

Boruto sat down next to his friend, catching his breath. "Your old man taught me that one."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. _"I did? Oh yeah. He kept whining that it was too hard for at least two hours..."_

"Really?" Sarada questioned curiously. "I'm just surprised you actually remembered how to do it, or that you paid attention."

"Hmph!" he pouted. "I'm not that stupid."

She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Anything else you want me to help you with? Or do you want me to kick your butt again?" she added sarcastically.

He ignored her last comment and hopped to his feet. "How do you climb trees and junk by using only your feet? I saw you doing that yesterday."

Sarada walked up the side of a tree, stopping a few feet above the ground and explaining, in great detail, how it was done.

Sasuke crawled forward an inch or two so he could get a better view. _"Boruto pays a lot more attention to Sarada than he does to me..."_ He narrowed his eyes in anger and disgust. _"Sooner or later his 'true intentions' are going to be revealed. I know exactly what he's up to. Trying to get closer to my daughter, huh? Not on my watch. Dobe... I bet Naruto convinced him to do this. I'll kill him later. First, I'll handle Boruto and make sure he stays away from my little princess."_

Sarada jumped down. "Did you get all that?"

He nodded eagerly. "I bet I can go all the way up my first try."

She laughed. "Yeah right."

Boruto grabbed a kunai from his bag to use as a progress marker. "Just watch me!" he shouted as he ran towards the tree. On the way, he accidentally kicked over Sarada's bag, spilling some of its contents.

Sarada huffed and made her way to the bag. "Idiot," she muttered while placing the items in their rightful spots. "Would it hurt to stop and pick up a few things?" She finished in no time and set the bag under the tree. The young Uchiha stood up and began to return to her original spot.

"WHOA! WATCH OUT!"

She looked up to see Boruto falling from the tree. There was no time to move.

Smack!

The two Genin fell to the ground, groaning and lying still. Boruto was on top of Sarada.

Sasuke anxiously waited for the boy to move. The two teens did not twitch. He grew very impatient and livid. The male Uchiha maneuvered his way behind the bushes and crouched down, ready to pounce. _"I knew it! That little pervert is dead!"_ Lightning crackled in his palm. He was just about to lift off when-

"Uchiha Sasuke!" someone angrily whispered.

He immediately halted. He knew the voice of his wife very well, especially because she only said his name like that when she was angry.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Sakura inquired.

He tilted his head to the side. "I'm about to murder a teenage boy!"

She grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to fully pivot around. The lightning in his hand disappeared. "You will do no such thing! Boruto-kun and Sarada are just training!"

A dumbfounded expression settled on his features. "How did you-?"

"I heard them talking about sneaking out earlier today," she explained.

"He's about to be dead!" Sasuke claimed.

"They just turned thirteen! What could they possibly do?!"

"You don't know what kinds of dirty thoughts teenage boys have!" he argued.

"Oh please!" Sakura spat. "We're going home!"

"What about-?!"

"I'll deal with Sarada after I deal with my first child! Come on!"

"No! They shouldn't have come out here by themselves this late! I'm just being their supervisor from the shadows!"

She put a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, threatening to kill your student... Let's go Sasuke-kun!"

He still refused to move. Sakura sighed and grabbed his collar. He pushed her hand away, a huge mistake. Before he could attempt to ambush Boruto, she got a handful of his collar once again, this time throwing him on the ground and pinning him to the earth. "Look, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. I'm going to knock you out and drag you home or we can walk. I will deal with Sarada later. Right now, we're going to leave."

He smirked. "Hn, what do you suppose the kids will think if they see us i-?"

Sakura knocked him out cold before he could finish, blushing lightly. She moaned as she stood up and grabbed his body, slinging him over her shoulder. "I swear," she mumbled, "I hate being the only mature one in the house..."

* * *

Boruto slowly opened his eyes, vision blurry.

"Get off me idiot," Sarada groaned from underneath him.

"Sorry," he mumbled, rolling off of her. "Looks like I lost the bet."

"No kidding," she growled while sitting up. Boruto discarded his jacket as he too sat up. Sarada noticed that he had a cut stretching from his elbow to halfway in between it and his wrist. "Let me heal that."

"Hm?" His gaze shifted downward to the wound. "Oh, sure." The blue-eyed boy held his arm out. She gently took it and a green glow appeared from her hands. Boruto watched in awe.

"Sorry if it doesn't heal all the way right now," Sarada explained. "I'm not really good at this yet. I only know the basics and this wound is deeper than I've healed."

"That's fine," he replied, eyes locked on the green glow. The Uchiha finished up and Boruto studied his newly repaired arm. "You didn't have to do that."

She kept her gaze on the grassy ground. "If your family found out they would get suspicious."

"Oh." He scratched his head and frowned. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He sighed and attempted to change the subject of their conversation. "I'm getting really tired."

"Same here."

"So, uh, we better head home in a minute. Anyway, thanks for helping me. I had a lot of fun."

Sarada grinned. "I enjoyed kicking your butt. I'll do that anytime."

"Can we, maybe, come here tomorrow night?" he asked shakily.

She turned a light shade of red. "S-Sure. So, same time?"

He nodded and they got to their feet. The two Genin collected their things before saying their goodbyes and separating. Boruto shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled the whole way home, thinking about the events of that night. Sarada had a small grin present on her features as she hopped through the trees. Then, she began to wonder if agreeing to train with him late at night again was a good idea.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So, I'm about to start high school and marching band is going to take up a lot of my schedule really soon. I'll have to practice a lot during each week until it ends in November at the earliest. Not to mention I'll have some competitions and band camp coming up first. That being said, I don't know how often I'll be able to write and I might not update at all in October. Just thought you guys should know. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the support! Please review!


	5. Betrayal

**Author's Note:** So band camp will start this week and I will basically be there all day almost every day. I've also been busy with other things this past week. Enough of that. Enjoy!

* * *

Sasuke sat at the table, frowning as he waited for breakfast. Sarada occupied the seat across from him, wondering why her father looked so angry. It was the morning after she had met Boruto for training the first time. She noticed her mother repeatedly giving Sasuke warning glances. _"What's with them?"_ Sarada wondered.

Sasuke put his elbow on the table and rested his chin in a hand. "Did you sleep well last night?" he asked, almost sounding as if he was interrogating her.

Sarada glanced at him, surprised by the abrupt question. "Oh, uh, yeah."

"Really?" Sasuke questioned further, an eyebrow raised. "Are you sure about that?"

 _"Does he know?! No, no way!"_ Sarada thought, suddenly becoming very nervous. She was able to keep a stoic expression when she answered. "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"

He said nothing else as Sakura brought the family their pancakes. Sasuke held his knife with an iron grip, staring down at the food. What he saw was not the plain circle it was in reality. Instead, his eyes visualized Uzumaki Boruto's head. A scowl crept its way onto his lips when he stabbed the middle of it with a loud clinking sound.

Sarada was completely bewildered by her father's attitude. Sakura mouthed "just ignore him" before taking a bite of her own pancakes. For the rest of the morning, the girl innocently watched the man brutally abuse the food while he ate. When Sasuke finished, he looked like a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any second. After her mother excused herself and went to work, they were left alone at the table.

Sasuke noticed Sarada shrinking down in her seat so he forced himself to relax. "Sorry, I'm really... exhausted." He stood up and grabbed his cloak, slinging it around his shoulders whilst exiting the room.

Sarada quickly followed him. "Where are you going?"

"I have to train with... him," he finished, still very furious. Sakura made him promise not to say anything about the Genin training together. That and not to kill or hurt the boy.

"Can I go with you?" she inquired eagerly, hoping he'd teach her a new move or even give her more information involving the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke sighed and tapped her forehead. "Sorry Sarada, maybe next time."

* * *

Those exact words escaped his lips many times over the next few days. By now, it was Friday and Sarada decided not to come out of her room that morning. She knew that she would only hear those words and feel his fingers against her forehead again. Every single time it was Boruto this, Boruto that. _"Is this how Boruto feels when Naruto-oji isn't home?"_ The thing was, both her parents were busy at the moment so she was by herself. Yesterday she had spent time with Inojin, Shikadai, Chouchou, Metal Lee, and Mitsuki. In fact, she had a lot of fun hanging out with her friends. The thing bothering her was that every time her father had come home, he refused to do anything, saying later and tapping her forehead each time.

Sarada kept her word and met Boruto to train the previous night. What the two Genin were oblivious to is that Sasuke had watched them again. He had been able to control himself whenever something he considered "intimate" occurred. Luckily for him, Sakura remained asleep at their home through that time period. She had announced that they should say nothing about knowing they were having late night training sessions. Sasuke was too annoyed and didn't pay any attention to the reason why.

Sarada locked the front door behind her and ventured into the village. She wondered where to go and concluded that the library seemed like a decent place. On the journey to her destination, the young Uchiha noticed many families out and about. She became somewhat envious of them and angry towards her father. The Uchiha family had been given quite a few opportunities to do something together since Sasuke's return. The only reason they hadn't was because of the male Uchiha himself. Sarada did her best to ignore the jealousy clouding her mind while she continued traveling to the library.

* * *

Boruto bent over and wiped his brow, panting.

Sasuke made five more clones. The real Uchiha hopped to the top of the large boulder his daughter had been using for training and sat down. "Beat the clones again. This time I want you to use only taijutsu, no weapons."

The boy groaned and tossed his weapon pouch aside. He took another minute to catch his breath prior to launching towards the first clone. The Uzumaki had no success and was kicked to the side in a matter of seconds. He stumbled to his feet and was about to leap again when he remembered something.

Sarada's words rang through his head. _"The reason you aren't hitting me is because everything you do is wild. You're not using any strategy whatsoever. Blindly rushing in isn't very effective, knucklehead."_

 _"Strategy... Yeah, I just gotta remember that. There's no way I'm gonna fail this! Although, Sasuke-oji has been pretty tough on me today and yesterday. He must think I'm ready for more advanced stuff. About dang time!"_ He laughed and turned to his master. "Hey, after I beat the crap outta these clones, why don't you come down here and we can have a real taijutsu battle!"

Sasuke smirked. "If I were to really fight you, you would be destroyed, even if I were to only use taijutsu." He looked away and frowned. _"There are other reasons I have an urge to annihilate you at the moment."_

Boruto rolled his eyes with a smile as he ran straight towards the first clone. He defeated it in almost a minute.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in surprise. The change in his pupil's attacks occurred so fast. _"He went from using stupid and useless moves to smart and strategic in an instant. Hm..."_ His thoughts drifted to the first night he watched the Genin train with each other. _"Sarada must have actually gotten through to him somehow. It's a miracle..."_ Sasuke decided to capitalize on this effect. Furthermore, he also concluded that watching them train together helped him know what his lessons for Boruto should focus on. Right now, the Uzumaki's taijutsu was his main priority.

* * *

Sarada had no clue what she was looking for. The vast library held an infinite number of books, both fiction and nonfiction. The girl wandered over to the nonfiction section. She loved to learn about history, especially Konoha's. Sometimes she read interesting things about the other villages. One thing that irritated her was that all of the truly intriguing books and novels were roped off in a separate section labeled "Ages Sixteen Plus". The nonfiction books in the sixteen and up section were more detailed documentations about the wars, information concerning rogue ninjas, etc. She desperately wanted to learn more about the last war and how her parents and the Hokage were involved. She had heard many people say that all of Team 7 played a huge role in the Allied Shinobi Forces' victory.

Sighing, Sarada turned her attention away from the restricted section. None of these books could satisfy her need to obtain more knowledge that the ones in the restricted section held. Her eyes skimmed through the many books on the shelves. One caught her gaze on the very top row, well out of her reach. "Guess I have to get someone at the front desk," she muttered to herself.

"No need," a person said from behind, startling her.

Sarada jumped and twisted around. "Mitsuki?!" She breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that again. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," he answered sarcastically.

She frowned and rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what did you mean when you said no need a second ago?"

Mitsuki smiled. "I meant that there is no need for you to get assistance."

The Uchiha narrowed her obsidian orbs. "That book is on the highest shelf. Of course I'll need someone to get it down for me."

He chuckled and rolled one of his long sleeves up. He heard a gasp of wonder as his limb extended and stopped at the top shelf. "I believe this is the one you wanted, correct?" he asked, tapping the book's spine.

Sarada nodded slowly, her jaw lowered to the ground. Mitsuki grabbed his book and let his arm length shrink slightly, holding it out in front of the bewildered girl. She took it and observed his limb return to its normal size, his long sleeve covering it once again. The boy was clearly amused.

"What was that?" Sarada questioned.

A smirk was plastered to his features. "Something I have the ability to do."

"That explanation was VERY helpful," she muttered, obviously annoyed. "Thanks though..."

"You're welcome," he replied.

"Why are you here?"

He shrugged. "The same reason you are I assume."

"I'm just bored," she sighed. "My mother is at work and my father... Tch, he's out training with his 'adopted son' I guess you could say."

"Boruto?"

A nod.

The male frowned. "The last I heard, your father has been absent for six months and just recently returned, right?"

Another nod.

"And he is also Boruto's master. They haven't been training for half a year so they must be making up for it now."

She leaned against one of the bookcases. "My father has a lot more to make up for than just training with Boruto. I thought that maybe for once, he would be home with the intention of spending time with my mom and I. I've been proven wrong and I don't understand why I'm so shocked."

Mitsuki sighed. "Just be glad you have a family. Besides, I'm positive your father will spend time with you and your mother soon. He's probably trying to get that pest Boruto out of the way right now," he added jokingly.

"You're right," she agreed with a grin.

His lips twitched upward to form a small smile. "If I were him, I wouldn't have the patience to deal with the Uzumaki as much as he does. Boruto is very, irritating, at times."

"At times? You haven't known him as long as I have." Sarada began to glance at the book Mitsuki had gotten down for her. Before her eyes could meet the cover, they caught a glimpse of the restricted section. She squinted to see the books' spines and one captured her attention.

"What are you staring at?" Mitsuki questioned.

The Uchiha pointed to the object and he followed her finger. The large book had the title "The Fourth Great Shinobi War: Defining Moments". He glanced at her curiously. "That's in the restricted section. We aren't old enough to enter."

"Hm..." The girl pondered for the next minute. An evil grin settled on her lips. "Mitsuki, I have a favor to ask."

The expression the boy held showed that he already knew what was coming. "And what might that be?"

A smirk. "Can you grab that book for me by using your arm stretchy thing?"

He bit his lower lip. "There's someone watching over there. They always have somebody keeping an eye out for these sorts of attempts."

Sarada glanced around the corner and sure enough, a man was sitting on the opposite side of the ropes, scanning the area. She noted that no one else was currently browsing in the restricted section. An idea popped into her head. "Wait here," she told her friend. The young kunoichi walked behind the nearest shelf and made sure no one else was nearby. A few seconds later, a clone stood beside the original. "I need you to distract the guy sitting by the ropes," Sarada commanded her doppelgänger. She grabbed the book Mitsuki retrieved earlier. "This might help you if we need more time, but don't do anything bad. I don't want to get kicked out."

Her clone took the item with a shift of the glasses she wore. "Got it." The doppelgänger sped off and Sarada waited until she reached the edge of the ropes to quickly jog back to Mitsuki.

He raised an eyebrow while switching his gaze back and forth between the two Saradas. "Honestly, is this necessary?"

"It is if we don't want to get in trouble. Now hurry up and get the book please!"

Mitsuki sighed and crouched down beside a display. He let his arm extend while leaning against the display's box, getting as close as possible to the book. His limb stopped about a foot away from the item Sarada desired. "I can't reach it. My arm won't lengthen anymore."

She glimpsed at her clone. Everything seemed to be all right. "Can you get closer?"

He shuffled to the very edge of the ropes. His fingertips almost brushed the book's spine.

"Come on Mitsuki, just a little further," she encouraged, worriedly glancing at the guard. Her clone appeared to be running out of things to say. "Hurry!" the girl whispered urgently.

The male grit his teeth and grunted in pain, attempting to stretch his arm past its limit. Finally, he was able to get a decent grip on the spine and his arm immediately flew back. Sarada's clone excused herself and rushed over to the pair after the task had been completed.

"Nice!" Sarada exclaimed, releasing the jutsu. Her clone disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Mitsuki handed her the book and gripped his shoulder, massaging it thoroughly. "You owe me one for this," he said with a slightly strained voice.

They stood up and walked towards a table more secluded and private than the rest. Sitting down next to each other, Sarada mumbled a "sure" before glancing around one final time to confirm that they were in the clear.

"Why did you want this book so much?" Mitsuki asked, still rubbing his shoulder.

She smiled. "Have you heard about the last war? My parents were a major part of it and I'd like to know about the war in general."

"Yes, I've listened to stories about it. This appears to be interesting," he replied, leaning closer to get a better view. "I am actually quite intrigued by this subject as well."

The two Genin gazed at the cover in awe. A grin settled on both of their faces. "Whoa," Sarada began, "that's the Hokage, Naruto-oji. It says the drawings in this book were made by Sai-oji."

"That's the Kyuubi with the Hokage. And why do you have so many aunts and uncles?" he questioned, genuinely curious.

She giggled. "They're just my parents' friends."

They flipped through a few pages and found a drawing of the old Team 7. Mitsuki read aloud, "Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto reunited. Reunited?"

Sarada had a puzzled expression. "I don't know. Is that really what my dad looked like back then?"

"Uchiha-san certainly did have a different appearance. What about the Hokage's hair?"

She nodded and smiled. "This was right before my mom received the seal on her forehead."

During the course of the next few minutes, the two read the introduction. All it really said was that the book covered the most major events of the fourth war. "That was pointless," Sarada stated. "I'd rather look at the pictures before we start reading."

"Fine by me," Mitsuki agreed.

She flipped through the first couple of pages with the section entitled "Events Leading to the War". Their eyes caught glimpses of the word "Akatsuki" many times. Lots of the drawings were of the villages. When they looked at Konohagakure's major shinobi, they noticed that all of Team 7 except for Sasuke were drawn or listed.

"That's weird. My dad isn't in any of these first illustrations," Sarada said.

"Hm..." Mitsuki pondered. "Maybe he was on a long mission at the time. He definitely took part in the war."

"Maybe you're right. I asked my mother something a few days ago and she said that my father had been on a mission for about three years."

"I guess-"

"What are you two doing?"

Sarada slammed the book shut while Mitsuki twisted around. She hid the object from view behind her back and copied the boy.

"Hello," Hatake Kakashi, the former Hokage, greeted warmly.

Sarada smiled nervously and waved.

"Sir, are you the Rokudaime?" her friend asked.

He chuckled. "That's right, but you can call me Kakashi. And who might you be?"

"Mitsuki," the boy replied.

They shook hands and Sarada took the opportunity to hide the book in the shelves. "What are you doing here Kakashi-jii-chan?"

"I just decided to browse around in the library and I saw you two, so I thought I'd come by and say hello," Kakashi explained. _"I wish Sasuke and Sakura would stop making her call me that. I'm not that old."_

Mitsuki and Kakashi chatted over a long period of time. Sarada thought about the book. Why was Sasuke not pictured very much? The mission her mother had spoken about didn't seem to fit that time period. What was the true reason? Then, as Kakashi asked Mitsuki about his hopes for the future, her own came to mind. _"How could I have forgotten?! I've been meaning to tell Naruto-oji forever!"_ She smiled at the thought of her dream. When her father had returned, it slipped her mind and stayed that way. Sarada kept it a secret ever since she decided it truly was her dream. The first person she desired to tell was her uncle, the current Hokage. The young Uchiha did her best to hide the excitement she felt.

After what seemed like an endless conversation, Kakashi left and Mitsuki turned to Sarada. "It's getting late now. Are you going to read more?"

She shook her head. "No. Kakashi-jii-chan almost caught us and there's no way to sneak it out. Besides, I have something else to do right now."

He eyed her closely as she cautiously slid the book under the ropes and back into the restricted section. Sarada quickly sped off, anxiously waiting for a chance to speak with the Hokage.

* * *

Naruto tiredly rubbed both hands through his hair. Today's stacks were much larger than usual and he desperately needed to take a break, to talk to someone other than because of a mission report.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in," he said, expecting another pile of work.

The person slowly opened the door, sticking only their head in. "Is now a bad time?"

"Sarada?" Naruto proclaimed, clearly surprised. "Come right in!"

She grinned and stood in front of his desk.

"What brings you here?" he asked.

"Well," she started shakily, "I've been meaning to tell you something. I haven't even told my parents yet."

His eyes widened at her statement. "So it'll just be between me and you right now, huh?"

She nodded.

 _"What's so important that she would tell me instead of her own parents?"_ he wondered. A wide grin settled on his features. "You can tell me anything!"

Sarada stared at the floor for a moment, working up the confidence to say what was on her mind. "It's my dream..." Suddenly, she slammed her hands onto the table. "I'm going to be Hokage!"

Naruto's jaw fell to the floor. Sarada anticipated his reaction, but the Uzumaki was too stunned to speak. "Th-That's..."

She waited nervously.

"... awesome!" he finished. "But, why haven't you said anything to your parents?"

"I might tell my mother soon, but my dad," she paused in mid-sentence with a frown, "I don't know if I'll mention it to him."

Naruto furrowed his brow and his smile fell. "Why not? I'm sure Sasuke would definitely be proud of you."

She shook her head as a sign she wanted to dismiss the topic. "Never mind that. I just wanted to know if you think I should pursue that goal."

"Absolutely! There's one thing you always have to remember though," he added.

Her eyes sparkled with great curiosity.

"Never give up!" Naruto shouted, giving her a large smile and a thumbs up. The young kunoichi returned the gigantic smile.

* * *

Boruto hopped on the rooftops. It was part of his training and he was just about to finish up for the day. He didn't know if he'd be able to train with Sarada later because of how exhausted he was. Sasuke's recently lessons were both merciless and relentless, leaving Boruto grunting with every movement after the sessions were over. It was everything from laps, to battling clones, weapon accuracy, physical training, and so on. The male got distracted and stumbled on a loose shingle. He barely got hold of a tree branch, desperately clinging to it. He flung his legs forward and flipped so that he crouched on top of bark.

A familiar voice reached his ears. "The worst part about it is all this paperwork!"

Boruto realized exactly where he was. The Hokage's office was located right beside the tree he was currently perched on. Inside, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sarada were smiling and conversing. _"Why is she talking to my old man?"_

Naruto reached over his desk and placed a hand on top of her head, both grinning as widely as they possibly could.

A small frown placed itself on Boruto's lips. He wasn't sure how to feel about the situation. Finally, he turned away with a roll of his eyes. "Hmph!" the boy sounded as he sped off.

* * *

Sarada began to open the door. "Oh, I almost forgot," she said, looking at Naruto over her shoulder.

"Hm?"

"It's about Boruto."

Naruto's lips separated slightly at the mention of his son. One of their recent encounters remained etched in his mind.

"It's nothing serious, but..." She tried to find the correct words. "He's been a little, depressed, lately. I think it might help if you spend a little more time with him."

Naruto looked at the calendar. "I didn't realize Boruto was depressed."

"Yeah. It's gotten worse and to be honest, my opinion is that you're the only one who can help him."

The whiskered male gasped and scanned the dates once more. "I... Maybe I can do something tomorrow. Thanks for telling me."

"Yeah... Don't tell him I said anything though."

"Sure thing. And remember, never give up! One day, you'll become a great Hokage!"

* * *

Sasuke watched as Boruto staggered to where Sarada sat, plopping down next to her. The night air was filled with the sounds of chirping crickets followed by the panting of Genin. Sarada had been advising and giving tips to Boruto for hours, the same as they had done the previous nights but with different exercises.

"I'm worn out," Boruto breathed. "This mixed in with your old man's training is taking its toll on me."

She stared off into the distance. "At least you get to train. My mom always has to work and there's only so much I can do by myself. She does her best to make the time to help me though."

He plucked the grass. The Uzumaki didn't really know what to say at the moment. "Well... my mother stopped being a working ninja a long time ago. It's to take care of me and Himawari I guess. I've heard she's a pretty good fighter, what with being from the Hyuga clan and all. Maybe I should ask her to show me a move or two one day. That would be terrifying though. Heh heh, she's already scary enough when she isn't in attack mode."

Sarada chuckled. "I know the feeling. That's reason number one why I'm always a 'goody goody'."

He frowned, remembering seeing her in the Hokage's office earlier that day. It was probably nothing to be concerned with, but in truth, he was somewhat jealous and bothered that Naruto would take the time at work to speak with Sarada instead of him. "Why were you with my dad today? You know, in his office..."

She gasped quietly. "You saw that?"

A nod.

Sasuke's mouth was set into a thin line. _"She was in Naruto's office? Why would she see him?"_

The young Uchiha wondered if it was a good idea to tell her best friend. She noticed him patiently waiting for an answer. Her final decision was that it would be okay to confide in the Uzumaki. "Can I trust that you won't say anything to another person, even my parents?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicion. _"You can't even tell me or Sakura?"_

Boruto was obviously bewildered by the question as well. "Y-Yeah..."

The girl grinned and tucked her knees closer to her chest, hugging them. Sarada turned her gaze upward, the stars reflecting in her obsidian eyes. "I wanted to tell him about my dream. The reason I haven't told my parents is because your dad knows a lot more about it. I'll probably tell my mom soon, but my dad... it's likely he won't care..."

 _"You think I won't care? I didn't know you already had a dream,"_ Sasuke thought.

Boruto waited in anticipation. What was this big secret she only trusted a select few with?

Sarada stood up and smiled, still staring at the stars. "I'm gonna be Hokage!"

Sasuke gasped and felt one of his hands fall limp to the ground. _"Sarada... you want to be Hokage? Why would you ever think I...? I can't tell you how proud I am..."_ The more he thought, he realized that Sarada had always been quite fond of Naruto. She loved learning about the former Hokages. In fact, she often visited Kakashi and Tsunade.

Boruto stumbled to his feet, mixed emotions flowing through him. How could his best friend want to be Hokage, the position his horrible father held?! Why would she ever want to shoot for that?! "You shouldn't even try..."

Sarada's mouth gaped wide open, shock and hurt filling her voice. "What?"

He turned around to face her with an angry glare. "It's pointless! Why would you ever dream about something as stupid as being Hokage?!"

Sarada flinched at the boy's sudden outburst.

Sasuke fingered the hilt of his sword. Something inside of him said to stay put. Either that or it was his wife's voice echoing in his ears. _"Fine. You can 'supervise' them, but do not even think about hurting Boruto-kun for no reason!"_ After that, they had a VERY long discussion over which circumstances would it be okay to injure the boy. To his dismay, she never gave him permission to critically injure the Uzumaki.

Boruto stepped directly in front of her. "You're never going to be Hokage! Why dream about it at all?!"

She took a step back. "Why are you-?"

He shoved her down.

Sasuke used every bit of resistance he had to hold his silence, tightly gripping the sword's hilt. That something in his head kept the Uchiha anchored to his spot in the bushes.

Sarada had her head down as she slowly rose to her feet once more, Boruto rambling on.

"You should be grateful! I'm doing you a favor!" he spat. "You can't w-UMF!"

He was sent flying backwards, landing with his back thudding against the ground. Boruto was now lying five feet away from where he originally stood. She had delivered a normal punch to his nose.

Sasuke exhaled sharply out of pure shock.

Sarada finally lowered her arm, looking up at the Uzumaki. The anger Boruto felt a moment ago was nothing compared to how livid she was now.

"S-Sarada?"

"Shut. Up."

Boruto helplessly clenched his bloody nose.

"You are such a... a spoiled brat!" she hissed, her voice filled with venom. "What is your freaking problem?! You always go on and on about how terrible your dad is! Did you ever stop and realize that he's protecting the whole village, including you?!"

Boruto remained silent, frozen in place.

"You're not the only one who feels neglected sometimes," she said, tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes. "At least you know exactly where your father is all the time! Mine is always gone and I have no clue why! You don't have to stay awake at night wondering if he's safe! When you haven't gotten a letter in so long, it gets much worse!" She failed to stop the furious tears from rolling down her cheeks. "Heck, he could have another family for all I know! When he is here, it's all about Boruto! 'I have to go train with Boruto, maybe next time,' he says while tapping my forehead! Be thankful you get to see your dad every day and know he's okay! Be glad your mom doesn't have to work! You're not left alone at home all the time while she's at her job and your father is traveling or training with your best friend! No, I should say ex-best friend!"

"Sarada," Boruto squeaked.

"Save it! I'm done training with you! You're not gonna stop me from achieving my goal!"

"Sarada, I-"

"I hate you," she muttered, holding back a sob. "Just stay away from me." With this, the Uchiha ran off as quickly as she possibly could.

Sasuke was speechless, a gigantic frown settling on his lips. _"Sarada... how long have you felt this way?"_

Boruto hurriedly scrambled to his feet and released his nose, blood coating his palm. "Wait!" He felt a hand on his shoulder and pivoted on his heel, gasping in shock. "Oji-san?! I didn't m-!"

"Go home," the man interrupted.

"But-!"

"Boruto, go home," Sasuke repeated. "Your family will worry if they discover you are missing." He let go of the boy's shoulder.

Boruto slowly began to walk in the direction of his house. Blood dripped down his lips and chin, eventually falling to the ground or spattering on his shirt. He felt partly guilty, the other half taken up by a slight sense of betrayal.

* * *

Sarada did not know where her feet were taking her. She was too focused on wiping away the tears that would not stop falling. How could he say that? Every word she spat back at Boruto was true. The boy always acted as if he had no father at all when his was right there in front of him. Whereas her father never ceased to be at arms length or out of her reach entirely.

Finally, after traveling for an uncertain amount of time, she decided to stop. Glancing around, she noted that she was in a small clearing. The treetops broke to form a gap about ten feet wide, moonlight rushing in through the hole. With a final rub of her eyes, Sarada sat down and gave up on attempting to hold them back. The girl hugged her knees and shivered as a cold breeze blew throughout the clearing. She tried to help Boruto earlier by speaking to Naruto, and he had just betrayed her. Not only that, but the negative feelings she held for her father had exploded all at once. _"Is my mother the only person I can trust?"_ she wondered.

* * *

Sasuke noiselessly hopped onto another branch. He concluded that this was close enough and carefully crouched down. He desperately wanted to jump off and comfort his daughter, but there was no way she'd let him of all people after her outburst. The man was still hopelessly dumbfounded by the words that had escaped her lips. Did she honestly feel that way? Sasuke shifted his gaze to the moon. It was already very late and he knew both himself and Sarada were tired. Sighing, he stood up and silently dropped to the ground. Approaching the girl quietly, her sobs came into earshot.

Sarada twisted around and gasped.

"Let's go home," Sasuke said.

"No, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"I don't have another family," he abruptly announced.

"So you were spying on me?" she sniffed. "Whatever. Did you speak with your 'adopted son' first?"

No answer.

"Hn," Sarada grunted loudly.

"Why did you think I wouldn't care if you told me about wanting to be Hokage?" he questioned, genuinely curious.

She shot up, fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. "Why?! If you've been spying then you should know exactly why!"

No change in his expression.

She huffed in annoyance. "The boy you want to be your son! And you always leave us! I want to know why!"

 _"I'm not ready to tell you."_ He closed his eyes for an instant. "I can't say right now."

She threw up her hands and fresh tears rolled down her already tear stained cheeks. "Of course you can't! Neither can Kaa-chan! Why do you keep hiding things from me?!"

Sasuke frowned and continued to stare with the one eye that wasn't covered by his bangs.

The fat wet droplets fell faster. "For once, I actually thought you had come home to see us and not to train with Boruto! I was wrong to get my hopes up, like always!"

"Sarada-"

"No! Just don't! You've done enough already!"

He removed his cloak and walked towards her, holding it out. "At least take this."

She glared at his hand. "I don't need it. I'm about to go home anyway."

"You're shivering. Wear it on the way."

She slapped his arm away, the cloak falling to the ground. "I told you I don't want it!" Sarada ran off before he could react.

Sasuke picked up the article of clothing and shook it, trying to get rid of the dirt on it. He had no clue what to do. He couldn't tell her about some of these things yet. He just wasn't ready for it. Sakura had warned him many times that Sarada was bound to find out another way and that he couldn't wait too long. He knew that was a fact, but now was not the right time. At least, for him it wasn't.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm so mean... hehehe, oh well, it'll get better. I'm repeatedly changing things around in my profile. I'm telling you this because I have percentages on how much I've completed of the next chapters for my stories. I just put that up there so you can see how soon they'll be released. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the support! Please review!

 **OTHER UPDATES**

This is really random, but I published a MitsuSara oneshot on Tuesday. I've found that I actually love that pairing. If you want to check that out then it's there. Just know that if I do make a pairing for Family Struggles, it will be BoruSara.

I will try to update Forgiveness by next Saturday.


	6. New Team

**Author's Note:** Will some of you please stop complaining about Boruto not being a "prodigy"? It's mainly just some guests trying to flame me, but still. I'm not mad, just annoyed. I've said before that this only SLIGHTLY follows the movie and that was BEFORE the news that he is supposedly a prodigy came out. One thing you should know is that Boruto being a prodigy actually plays a part in this story, so just be patient. It sort of starts in this chapter, but don't worry. Boruto's time is coming. And oh my gosh, all these trailers and spoilers have gotten me REALLY hyped for the Boruto movie. Sorry for the rant, enjoy!

* * *

Naruto peered out the window in the bedroom and then the clock. He was currently the only person in the house awake, but that would soon change. The Hokage managed to earn the day off and tell Hinata of his plans to spend more time with Boruto. He quietly put on some training clothes and crept to his son's room. Opening the door, his blue gaze landed on Boruto, who was snoring and drooling on a pillow with one arm and leg hanging off the side of the bed. The boy's covers were strewn around, barely covering his body. Naruto took a deep breath and gently shook his son's shoulder. "Boruto, wake up."

Boruto lazily lifted his heavy lids and glanced at the clock. "It's seven in the morning on a Saturday. I wanna sleep."

Naruto refused to let the male roll over. "C'mon! I have the day off and I want to spend some time with you!"

His tired eyes narrowed in confusion. "Y-You have a free day and want to spend it with me?"

The Hokage smiled and nodded. "Yep! There's a clone in my office handling all the paperwork and junk! Now hurry up and get dressed so we can go and eat breakfast!"

Boruto wiped the drool off the corner of his mouth and and began to get up. He stopped, remembering what happened the previous night. Guilt had overtaken his anger towards Sarada, almost making him feel completely miserable. He frowned and tilted his head in the adult's direction. "I don't feel so good. I shouldn't go out today."

Naruto's lips separated slightly. _"Sarada was right. He really is depressed. What do I do?"_ He put a hand under his chin in deep thought. A lightbulb flickered on. "Hey, after breakfast I can show you a couple of cool and powerful jutsus."

Boruto immediately lit up. _"Maybe it won't hurt to go out with Tou-chan. It might help get my mind off things."_ With this, he nodded and hopped up.

Naruto grinned with a sense of victory and exited the room.

* * *

"All right, where do you wanna go for breakfast?" Naruto asked as he pulled the door shut. "Anywhere you want!"

Boruto pondered for a moment, contemplating whether or not he wanted to get ramen or a milkshake at the burger joint. "I'm in the mood for Ichiraku right now!"

Naruto beamed. "Awesome! I'm always in the mood for Ichiraku's!"

He smiled. What in the world made his father want to hang out with him all of a sudden? Oh well, whatever it was he didn't care. All that mattered was he would finally get to spend time with his old man. "Oh yeah! What're those jutsus you're gonna show me?"

He chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. "It's a surprise."

Boruto grumbled in annoyance. "Tou-chan, I'm the lowest in my class, but you already know that I guess... Anyway, I need to admit something."

Naruto's mouth was set into a thin line as he waited.

"It's because I don't really try. I mean, when we have tests and all that, I know the answers, but... I never feel motivated so I just scribble in random answers. I'm also behind on training because of the same thing."

"Hm... Why don't you feel motivated?"

Boruto shoved both hands into his pockets with a shrug. "I don't know."

"Aren't you always telling everyone how you want to be a good ninja?"

A nod.

"You need to realize that you're only holding yourself back. I'm not sure what it is either, but you have to move on from it."

Boruto nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're right." He eagerly rubbed his hands together. "Besides, I have to be at my best if I ever want to beat-!" He halted in mid-step.

"Beat who?" Naruto questioned curiously, stopping next to his son.

"Uh," Boruto stammered. _"Don't say Sarada. Tou-chan will start asking me about dating again. I don't want to think about last night either."_ He scratched his head then hastily pointed a finger at the elder Uzumaki. "I'm gonna beat you old man!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and a small smirk placed itself on his lips. "So does that mean you want to be Hokage?"

Boruto crossed his arms. "No, I just wanna beat you."

Naruto laughed. "Okay, you can challenge me one day. Right now, I'm REALLY hungry though."

The boy smiled and agreed with the older male. He ran ahead and shouted at the man to hurry up. Boruto couldn't remember the last time he actually had fun with his dad. In truth, he was excited to spend the day with Naruto.

The Uzumakis made it to Ichiraku's, chatting about this and that on the way. People greeted the current Hokage, interrupting their conversations many times. Naruto politely dismissed them though, saying he was busy spending time with family. Boruto was bewildered by the change in his father's behavior, but he figured he might as well enjoy it because it might switch again at any moment.

"Why are you getting five bowls?" Boruto asked.

"I skipped dinner last night and now I'm starving!" Naruto responded, patting his growling stomach.

The Genin laughed. "I bet I could beat you if I ate five bowls too!"

The Hokage smirked and leaned closer while crossing his arms. "You couldn't beat me if you had two."

He slammed a hand on the counter. "It's a bet old man!"

Naruto placed their orders and waited until all seven bowls were ready. They picked up their chopsticks and got into position. "All right," the Hokage began, "and... go!" They immediately dug in. Boruto ate as fast as he possibly could, not bothering to glance at his father. When he finished his second bowl, the young Uzumaki smiled, thinking there was no way the old man could've completed his meal first.

"What took ya so long?" Naruto asked.

Boruto's jaw fell to the ground. "What?! How?! Y-You?!"

Naruto chuckled and paid for their breakfast, insisting that it shouldn't be free just because he held a higher status. After Boruto's puzzlement disappeared, they talked and laughed some more prior to setting out for the training grounds. The Genin was eager to learn the amazing jutsus his father was going to teach him.

"Okay," Naruto began, "you already know how to make a simple clone, right?"

"Yeah..." Boruto replied with a hint of curiosity.

"This will make everything a lot easier," Naruto stated. He made a hand sign and hundreds of clones surrounded his baffled son.

Boruto grinned, his blue eyes sparkling. "You're awesome! I can never make this many!"

Naruto gasped. _"He just said I'm..."_ A huge smile settled on his whiskered features.

"Teach me how to do it!" Boruto commanded enthusiastically. _"I never realized my dad was so... cool!"_

Naruto laughed and the clones vanished. "That's not the only thing I wanted to show you. There's another jutsu that's difficult to learn and it might take you a long time, so don't get frustrated."

His son's expression showed shock before it morphed into one of complete seriousness.

The Uzumakis enjoyed the whole day together. In the evening while they were at Boruto's favorite hangout, the burger joint, he was talking to his father as they waited for their milkshakes.

"You know Boruto, someone else gave me the idea to do this with you. I really had a ton of fun."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Someone else?"

"Yeah. Actually, they told me not to say it was them, but I can't keep a secret like that." He leaned across the table. "Don't tell her I said this, but it was Sarada."

Boruto gasped. "W-When did she give you the idea?"

"Yesterday, why?"

"No reason," Boruto said with a shrug. _"Sarada, you... did this for me...?"_ At that moment, he truly felt more guilty than ever before.

* * *

Sarada frowned, continuing on her trek to the Academy. She had managed to avoid Sasuke, as she now called him, for the entire weekend. The young Uchiha locked herself in her own bedroom for nearly the whole Saturday. She used Sunday as time to train with her mother. Guessing from the woman's attitude, Sasuke retold the incident to her. Sarada was just grateful Sakura never mentioned the subject.

She sighed and entered her classroom. The only other person in the room was Mitsuki, who was sitting in the very front row. Before he could even offer a greeting, she interrupted.

"Sit by me in the corner of the top row."

"Excuse me?" he asked, clearly puzzled.

"Come on."

"Why? You usually prefer to sit next to Akimichi-san and-"

"Just sit beside me!"

He glanced around one last time before hesitantly grabbing his belongings and following her to the top row. She settled down next to the window with him a few feet away.

"Uchi-," he stopped in his speech when she gave him a pointed glare. "Sarada," he paused to make sure he got it right, "you seem troubled."

"You don't know the half of it," she scoffed.

Mitsuki attempted to change the subject, seeing as how she was clearly sensitive to the current one. "Do you want certain people on your team?"

Sarada placed her hands together in front of her mouth, elbows resting on the table. "Oh, that's supposed to be today, isn't it?" she questioned in a bored tone. "And no, not really. Actually, I hope I don't end up with _Boruto._ You?"

He raised an eyebrow at her emphasis on the boy's name. "I'm not concerned with who my teammates will be. I would prefer a good instructor though."

Sarada scowled at the last part. She desperately hoped her father would not lead the team she was placed on. _"There are a ton of other options. No way he'll be assigned to my team. Hn, maybe I can avoid him more if he has a different squad."_

One lazy yet brilliant Nara Shikadai came yawning into the classroom, greeting Mitsuki and Sarada prior to taking a seat in one of the middle rows. He was followed by Yamanaka Inojin, who said his hellos and claimed a spot in the front. Before they knew it, almost the entire class had filed in and excitedly chatted about the upcoming squad placements.

The last person to enter was Uzumaki Boruto. He anxiously searched for a seat as far away from the Uchiha as possible. To his dismay, the only available place was right next to Mitsuki, who was of course near the person he didn't want to be close to. Boruto sighed and slowly sauntered to the top row. Sarada was frowning and staring out a window with a hand under her chin and an elbow on the desk, appearing to be bored. She offered him no greeting as he sat next to Mitsuki. The two males talked until it was time for the beginning of class.

The entire room hushed the moment Shino walked through the doorway. "Okay, as you all probably know by now, you will be assigned to a three man cell with a Jonin level instructor to lead you." He continued to explain other things such as missions and ended with a short statement about Chunin Exams taking place later on if their Jonin sent in applications for their squad. "Now for the first team."

Sarada hardly paid any attention while he read off names. She only cared about which team she was placed on. The young Uchiha was just about to nod off after the first few teams were announced.

"... Mitsuki, Uchiha Sarada..."

Her interest increased. The two shared a short glance and anticipated the name of their teammate.

"... and Uzumaki Boruto."

 _"Just my luck,"_ Saradathought. She bit down harshly on her lower lip, attempting to suppress a groan of frustration.

* * *

After Shino was done announcing the teams, the Genin were sent to lunch. Most of them stayed stationary just outside the Academy, sitting and conversing with their new team members. Boruto passed Inojin, Shikadai, and Chouchou as he studied the environment for a decent spot. He stopped and looked up, his gaze catching a glimpse of red clothing that was all too familiar. Sarada sat on top of the Academy roof by herself. The boy frowned, remembering that she had been the reason he received some time to bond with his father. He still didn't like the fact that her goal was to become Hokage. Maybe it was because he didn't fully trust Naruto, but what he did know was that he wanted his best friend back. The only way to do it was by apologizing and he really hated saying sorry in front of his classmates.

"You're staring," Mitsuki teased, bringing the boy back to reality.

Boruto whirled his head around to glare at the other male. "No I'm not! Why do you care?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just happened to notice you were gawking at our female teammate."

He furrowed his brow. "What of it?"

"It also seems like you are somewhat disgruntled, judging by your expression."

The blond male crossed his arms. "Something bad happened a few days ago and I need to apologize for it."

"What's stopping you?"

"I don't know."

Mitsuki grinned. "I believe the expression is, man up." He traveled up the side of the building, leaving behind a growling Uzumaki.

"Man up," Boruto mocked. He groaned and followed Mitsuki up the wall. After a few more attempts at climbing trees only using his feet, he quickly got the hang of it. "I can walk on walls and stuff, too, Mr. I Know Everything," he continued. _"Guess I better go ahead and get this over with..."_ He stepped onto the roof, finding an amused Mitsuki waiting for him. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going," Boruto said before the pale boy could open his mouth. He cautiously walked towards the Uchiha.

Sarada shot multiple glares at the Uzumaki through the corner of her eye. "What do you want?"

Boruto smiled nervously. "Uh... I'm glad we're on the same team..."

She looked away from him, not mumbling a word or making a sound at all.

His smiled morphed into a guilty frown. "Look, I wanted to say I'm sorry."

A quiet gasp escaped her lips.

"My feelings for my dad came over me. I'm also sorry for being such a... brat," he finished.

Sarada was at a loss for words. "Hn... sure... You can be a huge jerk sometimes."

He grinned sheepishly and breathed a mental sigh of relief. "I know. I had to clean all that blood out of my shirt before my mom noticed. It took me another hour just for my nose to quit bleeding."

"Sorry about that," she muttered.

"Am I welcome here or do you two need extra time to resolve your issues?" Mitsuki inquired, making his presence known.

Boruto and Sarada jumped at the interruption. They exchanged a short glance and let him join. The three Genin sat in a small circle while they ate, enjoying the company of each other.

"Who do you think our instructor will be?" Mitsuki asked.

Boruto shrugged. "I don't know anyone doing it besides Old Man Sasuke." He worriedly glimpsed at Sarada, remembering what part of her outburst included. To his great bewilderment, she was smirking at the nickname he gave her father.

"Hm..." Mitsuki frowned in deep thought. "I just hope whoever it is doesn't train us with harsh conditions."

Boruto and Sarada nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, the Uzumaki hopped up and crossed his arms with a proud smirk. "You guys better not drag me down on missions!"

"US, drag YOU down?!" Sarada asked in disbelief.

"Yep! I'm definitely the best on this team!" he bragged, both confident and slightly joking.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" Mitsuki questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmph!" he snorted while tilting his head away. "I've improved a lot recently and learned a ton of stuff. My dad showed me some cool things over the weekend."

They obviously still believed his words were empty. Sarada held back a smile at the mention of the boy spending time with his father.

"Just wait. You may not believe it now, but I'll show all of you. I'll have you know that I'm learning a highly advanced jutsu. I completed the first step in one day!" he proclaimed.

The Uchiha's breathing hitched for an instant. _"Boruto is learning a highly advanced jutsu? He already has the first step down, and in only a day?! No, that's impossible. There's no way he could do that."_ She crossed her arms, a suspicious expression settling on her features. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am! I think that after I talked with my old man about some things, I've realized all I needed was motivation. A while back I told you I wanted to fight you. I was just saying that then and thinking I could do it without working too hard, but now I've really set my mind to it. You better prepare because I'm getting stronger!" He pointed a finger at his female teammate and leaned down. "When I master this move, I'll be one step closer to beating you!"

The girl scowled and narrowed her eyes. "I'll believe it when I see it," she scoffed.

He chuckled and plopped down beside his friends once more. "That goes for you too Mitsuki!" He pondered for a moment as the boy stared at him with indifference. "By the way, what can you actually do?"

The light-haired male's expression filled with hurt at the Uzumaki's words, but it quickly shifted into a wide smirk. "That's for you to figure out. Neither of you better count me out of this so early on."

Sarada grinned in amusement. "That ability of yours I witnessed a few days ago could be troublesome if we ever do fight. I think I already know its weakness though."

Boruto's eyes lit up. "What ability?! Tell me!"

Mitsuki rubbed a hand through his hair and glanced at the eager boy. "You'll find out soon enough."

He threw his head back and groaned. "At least tell me its weakness!" he begged Sarada.

She curiously eyed the blond male. _"He does seems completely serious about this. All he needed to do was realize his motivation, huh?"_ She peered at Mitsuki. "You'll find out soon enough," she said, repeating the pale boy's words.

Boruto gave her a glare and a loud huff. His eyes widened at a realization. "It's almost time to head back inside and meet our Jonin!"

After they finished lunch, the three Genin ran through the Academy doors and into their designated classroom where they anticipated the arrival of their instructor. At first, they were smiling and chatting, full of excitement. An hour passed and the young team members were sitting in random spots all over the room, extremely annoyed.

Boruto jumped up from his place atop the teacher's desk, grumbling while pacing back and forth in front of it. "This is ridiculous! What the heck is the guy doing?!" He halted in mid-step, eyes widened. A mischievous laugh left his lips as he reached into his jacket pocket, Sarada and Mitsuki eyeing him suspiciously. The boy pulled out an unused balloon and held it up. "I'm gonna make whoever this careless jerk is pay for being so late!"

From the girl's position at the back of the room, she closed her obsidian orbs and sighed. _"Maybe he is set on becoming a powerful ninja, but his pranking habit hasn't changed,"_ she thought.

Another ten minutes passed and the boy had filled the balloon at a water fountain just outside the classroom. He set it on the desk and once again returned his attention to the tripwire he placed directly in front of the closed door. His teammates had been watching him make the trap and followed the Uzumaki with their eyes as he started connecting the wire to the part that would release the water balloon.

"Do you truly believe such an immature prank will work on a Jonin level ninja?" Mitsuki questioned.

"They won't see it coming!" Boruto shouted back with unwavering positivity.

"Where did you get the supplies for this?" he continued.

A chuckle. "I've got my own homemade pranking kits. This is as simple as it gets."

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow at this, but remained quiet.

Boruto completed the trap after another five minutes and put the water balloon in place. He bit his lower lip, concentrating on straightening it so the trajectory would be perfect. The male rubbed his hands together with a wide smile. "Now all we do is wait!"

"It's not going to work," Sarada commented dryly.

"Just watch!" Boruto spat back.

The Genin studied the door for the next half hour, wondering if Boruto's plan would succeed. They eventually began to debate if their sensei would show up at all. All three had nearly given up until they heard the doorknob begin to turn. Their eyes immediately shot in its direction. A smirk slowly grew on Boruto's lips the shorter the distance between the door and the wire became. It finally touched and all eyes were glued on the balloon as it started to fly forward.

Splat!

Boruto laughed hysterically when he saw the water drip to the man's feet. He held his stomach and turned to see Mitsuki with a horrified expression on his face. Sarada held the exact same look. A sense of terror ripped through him as his own cackling sounds steadily became quieter, all the while tilting his head up. His eyes nearly burst out of their sockets when he saw Sasuke standing in the doorway. The male Uchiha took his hand off the knob, removing the wet hair away from his right eye, trying to get it back to the original position. He growled and frowned, opening his eye to reveal the regular onyx orb instead of the blood red of the Sharingan. "You're lucky that I'm very tired. Otherwise, I'd wring your neck right about now."

The boy gulped and retreated to the middle of the classroom. Mitsuki seemed to be too shocked to move. Sarada, on the other hand, closed her gaping mouth and turned her head to gaze out the window. Her fist on the desk was clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. _"Why him?! It's always like this! Why is is that the things I don't want to happen usually do?!"_ She let out a short breath and forced herself to relax. _"I can't let this block my path. No, I can't let HIM stop me."_

Sasuke glimpsed at his daughter in the back of the room. He knew she must hate this after the outburst. Nonetheless, there was no way it could've been altered on such short notice. The man shifted his attention to a frightened Uzumaki, who shrank further when Sasuke glared daggers through him. Then he looked at Mitsuki, who flinched slightly. Sasuke's expression softened. "Come out in the hallway and wait there," he instructed the Genin.

Mtisuki hesitantly got up and made his way to the exit. Boruto followed, watching the older Uchiha carefully when he went through the doorway as if he were afraid he might get seriously injured if he looked away. Sarada waited until her teammates left the room to move. Each step she took seemed to echo loudly off the walls. Not once did she spare her father a glance. As she passed him, Sarada muttered, "You were wrong about me liking my sensei..."

Sasuke stood in place, not even bothering to blink. He hated this, the way things were between them right now. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. At the moment, he had an entire team to attend to, so he led them outside and to the exact same place he had been led when Kakashi was his sensei. In fact, he copied the way the Hatake had sat on the railing. Remembering how his own experience went, the Uchiha attempted to recall his former sensei's words. "What you're about to do is introduce yourselves."

"Like what, say our names?" Boruto asked.

"Your name, likes and dislikes, dreams. Things of the sort," he explained. "You can go first."

He smiled proudly and slapped a hand over his closed fist. "The name is Uzumaki Boruto! My goal is to be an incredibly powerful ninja! I like going to the burger joint and hanging out with my friends. Oh, and getting stronger. Add winning to that. I don't like the long wait to get food when you go out and eat. I also don't like my dad... most of the time. Sometimes he's all right."

An awkward silence filled the area as he finished up.

"Okay," Sasuke began, "you next." He motioned to Mitsuki, who sat in the middle.

"I'm Mitsuki. I do not have a surname. I like exploring the village and learning about my new home. I also like to hang out with friends. I dislike... well, I don't really dislike much. Irritating people I guess... I don't really have a dream or goal at the moment."

Sasuke tilted his head towards Sarada. "Hn, last one."

She crossed her arms and stared at the ground. "Uchiha Sarada. I like spending time with my friends and PART of my family. I like to train and learn new things. I dislike people hiding things from me." She paused to fire a glare at Sasuke through the corner of her eye. "My goal or dream is to become the Hokage."

Everyone could sense the tension in the air after the young kunoichi finished. Her teammates didn't know what the whole problem was between the two Uchihas, but did not dare ask any questions.

Sasuke swallowed and looked up. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke and I will be your sensei."

"When is our first mission?" Boruto interrupted before he could go further.

A smirk. "Mission? Your first exercise as a team will be tomorrow."

"So it's a mission then?" he asked, confused.

"Call it whatever you want," Sasuke answered. "But the way, skip breakfast tomorrow morning. It's necessary for the exercise."

The three Genin furrowed their brows in puzzlement. How were they supposed to succeed in their "mission" if they hadn't eaten?

"Sasuke-sensei, what-?" the Uzumaki began, but was quickly cut off.

"You'll understand in the morning," Sasuke went on, the smirk growing wider. "Be at the training grounds by dawn. You're dismissed."

The Genin chattered for another minute before the boys retrieved their bags and left. Sarada frowned and threw her bag's strap over her shoulder, preparing to jump off the building in order to quickly escape her father.

"Sarada," he called just as she was about to lift off.

Her gaze remained steadily trained in front of her. She sighed deeply. "Yes, Sasuke?"

"I don't appreciate your attitude lately."

"Hn, that's what I was going for," she scoffed.

"I'm your father and you shouldn't-"

"You never act like a real father, always leaving and never home! I bet you're going to travel again soon!" she accused.

Sasuke took a deep breath, trying to hold his resistance. "No, actually I'm not planning on it. Stop acting like this or I'll-"

"You'll what?! Ground me?!" she snorted. "Big deal!" Sarada hopped away before he could fire back.

Sasuke leaned against the railing and gazed upward at the sky. He rubbed his eyes and sent his hands through the dark locks on his head in frustration. _"What can I do?"_ he wondered. Telling her what she wanted to know was not an option at the moment. He just couldn't do it. The Uchiha's hands fell to his sides and hit something solid in one of his pockets, followed by a quiet jingling sound.

* * *

Sasuke sat across from Kakashi at the table. He would be meeting his new team at the Academy for the first time later that day. After his daughter's outburst, she constantly avoided him. He knew she would probably be angry and upset once he revealed that he would be the leader of her team.

Kakashi sighed and closed his book after listening to Sasuke explain his problem. "I can understand why you're reluctant to tell her, but she's going to find out some way or another."

"Sakura keeps warning me about that. I know you're both right, but I can't do it right now."

"And you were spying on her, which only makes it worse," the former Hokage continued.

"Yes," he responded with a hint of annoyance.

"Hm..." Kakashi pondered. "Well Sasuke, no offense, but you're a huge idiot sometimes."

The Uchiha frowned and narrowed his eyes in irritation. "I'm aware of that..."

A chuckle. "Does Sakura know about your little episode with Sarada?"

"Hn," he grunted with a small nod.

"Has she said or done anything about it?"

"No."

"There's your solution! Just tell her you need help and she'll take care of the problem."

"I don't think it's as simple as that Kakashi."

He placed a hand under his masked chin. "I bet you're thinking she'll tell you Sarada needs an explanation now. Most likely, she will, and I agree. But, if you don't plan on doing it soon, then you'll have to explain why you can't tell her."

"That might end up making the entire situation worse."

Kakashi sighed once more. "I've never been a father so I don't know much about these things."

"Never mind that," Sasuke announced, dismissing the current topic. "I don't really know where to begin with a team, especially with Sarada being on it. I tried to make Naruto change his decision, but he refused."

The Hatake raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You asked him because of the incident?"

"No, I did it because I don't want to train with her. It's not like I'm trying to neglect her, it's just... I can't stand the thought of Sarada ending up like me."

A sad expression rested on his former sensei's face for an instant. It quickly changed and he began to laugh. "Sasuke, your heart is in a good place now. There's nothing to worry about."

A long pause.

"You're right," he finally responded. "I can't comprehend why I'm so concerned with it."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "And you don't have a clue how to handle your own team, huh? Hold on for a second."

Sasuke eyed the man curiously as he dug around in a bag on his side for something. A minute later, jingling could be heard as the object was tossed to him. He caught it with ease and held a small grin while staring down at the familiar item.

"I just thought of another possible answer to your problem," Kakashi claimed. "Maybe the idea that Sarada getting a chance to pummel her father would assist her in blowing off some steam."

Sasuke smirked and shoved the bells in his pocket.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Band camp is over but I'm still exhausted. I'll have a little more time to write now, but school is going to start very soon. Thanks for the support! Please review!


	7. Bells

**Author's Note:** I know it took me forever to write. I had tons of homework and marching band. Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

* * *

Sarada yawned quietly as she continued on her way to the training grounds. The sun had not fully risen yet and even though she went to bed early the previous night, the young kunoichi was still hopelessly tired. After she woke up, the girl noticed that her father was no where to be seen. _"Hn, already slacking off Sasuke? He probably lied to me and left again. I wouldn't put it past him even though he has a squad now."_ The female Uchiha reached her destination within another minute. Her teammates had already arrived, appearing as if they'd only been waiting a short time. Each of the boys looked behind her to see if their leader was close by.

"Sarada," Mitsuki began groggily, "where is-?"

"Don't know, don't care," she interrupted flatly while stopping in front of the males.

Mitsuki held a surprised look at her rudeness, but immediately shut his mouth.

"Sorry, I'm not really a morning person," Sarada excused herself. The boys shared a glance prior to looking in opposite directions, stomachs growling in unison. Neither of them said another word about Sasuke's whereabouts. For the next half hour, the team watched the sunrise and ended up sitting down with irritated expressions. Before they knew it, twenty more minutes passed. Boruto hissed and laid down on the ground, quickly falling asleep. So they waited, and waited, and waited, then Boruto woke up, and they waited, and waited, and FINALLY...

... they waited some more.

By then, the three Genin had discarded their drowsy states, replacing it with sheer annoyance. Half of it was caused by their constantly growling stomachs, having skipped breakfast as Sasuke instructed.

Poof!

Sasuke appeared in front of them, eyeing his team curiously. He opened his mouth to speak, but a certain Uzumaki cut him off. "Where the heck have you been?! What was all that crap about meeting here at dawn?!"

Sasuke remained stoic. "I was taking care of an errand."

"And just how important was this 'errand' if it kept you from getting your butt down here?!" Boruto shouted in reply.

"Will you keep it down? You're starting to give me a headache with all your yelling. You're as loud as Naruto," Sasuke responded calmly.

The boy grumbled and crossed his arms, averting his gaze from the man.

"Can we begin whatever this 'team exercise' is?" Sarada questioned impatiently.

"Hn, I was getting to that," the elder Uchiha said, reaching into his pocket. The three Genin watched as he pulled two bells out, holding them up so they could have a better view. "Your task is for each of you to retrieve one of these bells from me."

"But there are only two," Mitsuki declared, clearly confused. His teammates shared the same expression.

A wide smirk settled itself upon Sasuke's lips. "Yes, that's because the one who fails to obtain a bell will be sent back to the Academy." That morning, he had been with Kakashi, asking questions on how to handle his team's first training exercise. Since none of them had told the children about their own experiences with the bells yet, the Hatake concluded it'd be best to follow his words form back then.

Sarada, Boruto, and Mitsuki gasped in unison. They were completely dumbstruck at this.

"But we graduated the Academy! Why would we be sent back?!" the blond male demanded with a frustrated tone.

Sasuke shrugged. "It'll only be one of you. Besides, this way we can remove the weakest link." He was doing his best to keep up the act. The Uchiha knew very well that his team was perfectly capable of figuring the trick out all on their own, but he wanted to toy with them a bit first. Then he saw the look on his daughter's face and almost blew it. Sarada was staring at the ground with a sorrowful expression. _"Does Sarada think I believe she's the weakest?"_ Sasuke thought. _"This little idea of yours to let her blow off some steam better work Kakashi."_ He quickly kept his thoughts hidden, attempting to hurry things along. "The rules are simple. You may use any sort of way you think necessary to retrieve a bell, even if that means going for the kill." He paused as the team gasped once more, pulling another object out of his bag. "When this timer goes off, that signals the end of the exercise. If all of you fail to obtain a bell, then the three of you get sent back to the Academy. One, other two go back. Got it?"

The Genin nodded with great determination. He started the timer while setting it down behind him and said "Go!". After Sasuke had fully whirled around to face them again, he raised an eyebrow. All of them were hidden, and really well by the looks of it. _"I won't use my dojutsus against them. That wouldn't be fair and it'll ruin the fun."_ Sighing, he stood in place for a minute, attaching the bells to his pants.

* * *

Sarada studied her father from the cover of a tree branch high above the ground surrounded by leaves and other branches. She glanced at the timer and then back at Sasuke, who was lying in the middle of the field with his hands behind his head, eyes closed. _"Three minutes have passed and none of us have made a move. I have to get a bell. No way I'm gonna let Sasuke beat me out at this. It's going to be extremely difficult though. Hm... weird, I haven't even heard a rustle from the others."_ Just as she finished the thought, her obsidian orbs caught something moving in the grass. She squinted to see Mitsuki's arm slowly and noiselessly extending, aiming for a bell. After another couple of seconds, he scooted closer to the edge of the brush, his arm appearing to be at its limit. _"No way! Can he really pull this off?!"_ Sarada thought as he made it to half a foot away from the bells.

Sasuke smirked and grabbed the boy's hand without opening his eyes. "An impressive technique. However, I've battled someone with this kind of ability before so I have my ways around it." With this, he stood and yanked an astonished Mitsuki towards him. The light-haired male flew out of his hiding spot and landed on his feet a short distance from Sasuke. He clearly hadn't been expecting this turn of events and settled into a defensive position, trying to come up with another strategy. After a moment of hesitation, he quickly made a hand sign and a clone appeared behind his opponent. Sasuke stood motionless as both of the Mitsukis' arms extended around him, linking as they met in the middle on either side of the man. The young boys moved with the same motions as they began to circle him, slowly at first but eventually increasing to a speed fast enough that made them seem like a blur.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in curiosity while he watched the scene, not moving a muscle. _"I wonder what he's planning. Guess I should keep on waiting and see what he does."_ Just as Sasuke finalized the thought, both of the Mitsukis vanished, leaving him alone in the field. The Uchiha's onyx and purple gaze widened in confusion. A gasp escaped his lips when multiple sharp objects pierced his torso. Blood came pooling in his mouth and trickled down his chin. The flabbergasted man slowly tilted his head down. His breath caught in his throat. Mitsuki, Sarada, and Boruto each held their own sword, all sticking through his chest. _"What? How did-?"_ A smirk placed itself on his lips when Sasuke caught on. Putting his hands together, he formed a seal and his senses returned just in time to see the real Mitsuki lunging for a bell. The older male easily sidestepped him, kneeing the Genin in the gut. The pale boy rolled across the ground and struggled to breathe once he stopped. He glanced at Sasuke when he finally managed to scramble to his feet, clutching his stomach.

Sasuke chuckled as their gazes met. "You're very talented for your age. I never expected that any of you would know genjutsu, much less one of that caliber. It still needs a lot of work and I won't fall for it again since I know what to expect." His smirk grew wider. _"Mitsuki's strategy was to go straight for the bells in a manner that he has to fight less, conserving energy and chakra. It's not a bad plan if you use it correctly. In his case, it was actually very decent."_

* * *

 _"I thought he was gonna get a bell for a second there,"_ Boruto thought, reminiscing in awe over what had recently taken place. His blue gaze landed on his male teammate. _"Hm... Mitsuki looks like he's done for now. Might as well give him a break."_ A shiver of excitement traveled down his spine. _"Now it's my time to shine and there's no way I'm gonna lose, Dattebasa! Let's do this!"_ He hopped down from his low spot in the trees and checked that he was still momentarily hidden. _"All right Tou-chan, I hope this jutsu of yours will help me out."_ After his final thought, the boy raised his hands.

* * *

Multiple battle cries filled the area as both Sasuke and Mitsuki turned their heads to look in the direction of the noises. The Uchiha remained unfazed as five Borutos emerged from their hiding spots, rushing straight towards him in the open clearing. Mitsuki took the opportunity given by the interruption to escape into the woods and rethink his strategy. Sasuke was anchored to his spot as the boys continued to close the distance between them. _"Since when can he make that many clones?"_ His mind returned to the present when the two clones at the ends of their line launched multiple shuriken at him. Sasuke dodged with little difficulty and witnessed another pair of the clones launch themselves directly at him. The couple that had thrown the shuriken joined in on the taijutsu battle with one lingering behind.

 _"That's more than likely the real one,"_ Sasuke thought while blocking one of the copy's punches and delivering a kick in the gut to another, making it disappear with a cloud of smoke.

 _"I have to hurry! One of the clones is already down!"_ Boruto thought urgently. _"Make that two!"_ he screamed to himself as another vanished. _"Come on! I know that I can do this!"_ The Uzumaki had easily mastered the first step while he trained with his father. The second had proven to be more difficult for him, but he'd gotten close to completing it in his last training session with Naruto focusing only on this jutsu.

A single clone jumped on Sasuke's back while the other two lunged for the bells. The Uchiha grabbed one of the leaping clones by his leg and tossed him into a tree. He then gripped the one on his back by the wrist and slung him at the other. The clone lying against the tree vanished, followed by the two that collided with each other. All that was left was the Boruto that stayed back, the real one. Sasuke smirked when hew saw the intense look of concentration and his stance. "I see Naruto has been teaching you an advanced technique. However, what use is it to you at the moment if you haven't mastered it yet?"

Boruto looked up in surprise. His teeth were grinding together as he tried to focus on completing the jutsu. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face. The Uzumaki's sensei was frozen in place, apparently waiting to see if the boy would accomplish his goal. "I'm gonna get a bell no matter what!" Boruto shouted with determination. Suddenly, he gasped and his hands fell while he pushed off the ground and jumped away.

Sasuke stared at him in confusion. That's when he heard it. A whooshing sound mixed with a creaking noise filled his ears, followed by a strained grunt of perseverance. He whirled around in shock to see Sarada swinging an uprooted tree straight at him. He quickly drew his sword and sliced at the section barreling towards him. Part of the trunk hit the ground with a thunk.

Sarada lowered what was left of the tree to rest on the ground, her arms locked around the end. She slowly caught her breath and dropped her head in order to remove the sweat from her brow on one of the long arm protectors she wore.

Sasuke gazed at his daughter while lowering the sword. "Using your teammate as a distraction? That's a nice move and it caught me off guard. Nonetheless, you could've hurt him in the process. After I've seen it once, I won't fall for it again though. I will admit that I'm impressed with all three of you so far."

She heaved the tree up high enough to get a short running start and drop kick its base, sending it sailing in her father's direction.

She gasped, hearing a shredding sound and the next thing she knew, the tree had been split straight down the middle and separated into two halves. A low growl sounded in her throat when he sheathed his sword, the male's expression seemingly unfazed. Sarada reached back with her arm and punched the earth with a shout of determination. The ground in front of her shook violently and shattered at a quick pace.

Sasuke somersaulted high into the air to avoid the earthquake below him, pondering deeply. _"Sarada's strength isn't nearly as good as Sakura's, but it's still quite impressive for someone her age."_ A bright flash of light brought him back to the present. A fireball was blazing towards him. It was bigger and faster than the last time he'd witnessed her perform the jutsu.

The female Uchiha chuckled in delight as the fireball hit its target. The laugh quickly morphed into a gasp of shock and disbelief when a charred log fell to the ground. _"Substitution?!"_ She looked around in all directions. _"I need to come up with another strategy."_ With this, she sped off into the cover of the trees.

Sasuke watched her retreat from his own hiding spot in some bushes. _"They're a lot more skilled than Sakura, Naruto, and I when we participated in the bell test. I wonder if they'll figure out the purpose of this exercise without being told."_ He peered at the timer. _"Plenty of time left. Maybe I should keep quiet and spy on them for now. I won't be as persistent as Kakashi was,"_ he finished with a smirk.

* * *

"Are you crazy?!" Boruto angrily yelled at Sarada. "You could have killed me swinging that tree! Not only that, but you ruined my chance to get a bell!"

She folded her arms and snorted. "Standing like that, you looked more like you were constipated than trying to retrieve a bell."

Mitsuki's eyes nervously flickered back and forth between his two bickering teammates. "I don't think-"

"SHUT UP MITSUKI!" they commanded in unison.

The boy immediately closed his mouth.

Boruto groaned loudly, rubbing his temples. "What the heck is the point of this?! We graduated the Acadmey and got placed into teams! Now only two of us are gonna pass at most! There's no way we can get a bell! He's going easy on us and it's still impossible!"

The female Uchiha had been pondering about the exercise ever since the rules were announced. What was the true purpose of it? Sarada exhaled sharply, earning curious stares from the boys. She began to laugh and shake her head repeatedly. "Of course. Why didn't I think of that sooner?"

"What are you talking about?" Boruto asked.

Sarada's laughing ceased, but a grin remained etched into her features. "The entire objective of this exercise. It's so simple. Think about it. Why would we be separated into teams only to have one of us go back? It make no sense, right?"

They shook their heads in response.

"As I said, we've been put into TEAMS."

Mitsuki snapped his fingers. "I understand now. Only having two bells is supposed to distract us from the main purpose. The reason we participate in the bell test is-"

"- TEAMWORK!" Boruto finished proudly, smacking his balled fist into his open hand. "That's it! All we have to do is use teamwork!"

"Okay, now what? What's our plan?" Mitsuki questioned.

"Huddle up!" Boruto said, motioning for them to come closer. The three Genin crowded around each other, listening to what the Uzumaki had to say. After they were done, all team members had their doubts.

Sarada sat down with her back leaning against a tree. "I'm not sure about this. Do you actually think it'll work?"

The blond shrugged. "No clue but it's worth a shot."

Mitsuki placed a hand under his chin. "I agree with Boruto. Sasuke-sensei said we can do this by any means necessary."

Boruto walked to where Sarada sat. "Besides, I ca-MPH!" He tripped over a tree root and fell. Sarada attempted to put her hands on the boy's chest in order to stop his fall, but failed to get them up in time. Instead, he landed right in her lap and...

... their lips were pressed together. Both Boruto and Sarada turned a dark shade of red and stared at each other with widened eyes. Neither bothered to move, frozen in place at the sudden contact. Mitsuki was also anchored to his spot, too shocked to even twitch. Nervous beads of sweat of sweat rolled down all three of the Genins' faces.

* * *

Sasuke halted in mid-stride and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He looked in every direction at the environment surrounding him. _"Hm... I have a sudden urge to harm Boruto... That little brat is definitely up to something... I better hurry."_ He began to walk once more, this time increasing his pace.

* * *

Boruto finally gained the willpower and confidence to move. He shakily inched away with his hands lingering on her shoulders, their lips separating. "S-Sorry..."

"Y-Yeah," Sarada replied hesitantly, trembling from shock under his grip. "Um... C-Can you get off me now?"

"Oh!" he stammered, noticing their awkward position. He stumbled away from her and stood up, casually dusting himself off. Sarada did the same and made it to her feet with slightly wobbling legs. The pair blushed when their eyes met. The Uchiha and Uzumaki immediately spun their heads in opposite directions, embarrassment radiating off of them.

Mitsuki scratched the back of his neck at the scene. "So, how will we lure him out into the open?" he inquired, trying to change the subject.

Aftwr a minute of considering the question and recovering from the mishap, Sarada gave a signature Uchiha smirk. "I think I have just the thing." She dug through her weapons pouch on her hip and eventually pulled out a bright red tomato.

"Why the heck do you have that in there?" Boruto questioned in disbelief. He also seemed to have regained his thoughts after the recent incident.

"Sasuke said not to eat breakfast this morning so I brought something to eat later in the day."

All three of their stomachs rumbled simultaneously. "I forgot about being hungry," the Uzumaki moaned. The others nodded in agreement. "Let's hurry up and do this so we can eat."

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke could not believe what he was seeing. There, in the center of the open field, lay a beautiful work of art. It was perhaps the most plump one he'd ever been fortunate enough to see. His mouth watered at the very sight of the masterpiece. Licking his lips fervently, the male Uchiha took a small and daring step forward. _"I don't care if I'm in the middle of a team exercise. I need to eat that tomato now."_ He did his absolute best to maintain his look of composure while stalking towards the food item.

Boruto cackled and jumped out of his hiding spot, landing on his master's back. He locked his arms around the Uchiha's neck and continued to howl with satisfaction. "Wow Sasuke-sensei, you really are a sucker for tomatoes!"

"You little brat," Sasuke seethed. He proceeded to yank the boy by his shirt collar and throw him to the ground.

The blond male landed with a thud and a squishing sound coming from underneath his foot. He shifted his leg to discover the remains of the squashed tomato covering the grass and the bottom of his sandal. "Ew," he voiced in disgust.

Sasuke towered over the boy with an ominous glare. "Boruto," he growled. The older male caught the hushed sound of a hand approaching from behind. He dodged in time to see Mitsuki's hand shoot straight by the jingling bells, nearly brushing them. He twisted his head around once more as Boruto launched multiple kunai and shuriken at his waist where the pair of bells were located. Sasuke somersaulted backwards in order to gain some distance. The moment his feet skidded to a halt, someone shouted from behind the bewildered man. A fist nearly connected with Sasuke's nose as he pivoted on his heel to face the attacker. Just before it could, he vanished. Sarada's punch landed on the ground, causing another mini earthquake.

 _"So it seems they've figured out the purpose of the exercise,"_ Sasuke thought with a smirk. _"Looks like my team has passed. Nonetheless, I'd like to observe more of how they work together. It won't hurt to test them a little longer."_

Boruto and Mitsuki caught up with Sarada and stood beside her, the Uzumaki in the middle. "We're keeping him on his toes guys! Let's do this together as a team!"

Sasuke hid his smile from view.

* * *

After an hour of the three Genin battling with their sensei, the training grounds were left with several markings of taijutsu and ninjutsu, half from Sasuke and the rest caused by his team. All three of the young shinobi had managed to graze the bells at least once each. However, they constantly failed to get a good grip and take them.

Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki regrouped and panted heavily, watching as Sasuke also breathed heavier than usual. "We have to hurry," Boruto announced urgently. "The timer is gonna go off soon. Okay, switch to Plan B guys!"

Mitsuki and Sarada nodded in acknowledgment and jogged to the edge of the trees, leaving the blue-eyed boy to stand alone. He formed the hand seal his father had shown him and the next instant, five Borutos stood in a line.

Sasuke finally caught his breath and frowned in thought. _"Is he attempting the first strategy he used when he was alone? No, it has to be something else. The other two play a role in this."_

One of the Borutos dashed forward and kicked at Sasuke's side. The Uchiha easily blocked and elbowed the boy's gut. He held his stomach, but stood his ground, quickly shifting back to an offensive stance. _"So this is the real one. What sort of plan is this? The clones are just standing there."_ His thoughts were interrupted by a series of rapid kicks and punches from his student.

* * *

Mitsuki was about to finish adjusting his position. He grunted in pain at how far his arms were stretched. "Okay, I'm done."

Sarada nodded and hurried to where he was perched. She grimaced at the way his hands were gripping the first couple of trees at the edge of the woods. His arms ran from around there to thirty or so feet back until they absolutely refused to extend any longer. His feet were planted on the back of the trunks a yard above the ground. Boruto's plan had been to make a literal human slingshot. She carefully climbed into Mitsuki's lap and tried to put as little weight on her teammate as possible. "Look, the clones are beginning to attack."

"I can't hold up much longer," he breathed into her ear, grinding his teeth together in pain.

"All we have to do now is wait for them to move Sasuke in the right spot," she responded, trying to ease his worries. "They've almost got him there."

One by one the clones disappeared until only the original remained. Boruto smirked and threw a final punch, hoping Sasuke would dodge to the side. To his satisfaction, that was exactly what occurred.

"Now!" Sarada shouted, preparing for lift off.

Mitsuki removed his feet from the stumps without hesitation and they were off. Sarada flew away from him the moment he reached the edge. The light-haired male immediately released his hold on the trees and started to thoroughly massage his aching arms. He'd pushed well past his limit to stretch his limbs that far.

Meanwhile, Sarada flew towards Sasuke, a blur in the air.

Sasuke felt a rush of wind hit his side and curiously glanced in that general direction, flinching slightly as he did so. He raised an arm and caught his daughter's wrist, getting jerked back in the process by the speed she had been traveling. It took a massive amount of strength for him to redirect the blow so she ended up heading the way she had come from. Boruto, who was right in her path, screamed but was cut off when her fist connected with his abdomen. However, their flight didn't stop there. Mitsuki looked up just in time to see his teammates' bodies coming straight for him.

Sasuke cringed at the sight of the three Genin crashing into a tree. The enormous oak tumbled to the earth, dust settling after the loud impact. The male Uchiha strode to where their unconscious forms lay next to the uprooted tree. He heard the timer go off somewhere in the distance. He scratched the back of his head and muttered to himself, "Maybe I took it a little too far..."

* * *

Sarada woke up with a pounding headache and realized her body was restrained, tied to something, a tree stump to be specific. Her teammates were also tied to separate stumps a few feet away. They soon regained their consciousness. She effortlessly severed the ropes with her superhuman strength and sank to the hard ground. Mitsuki's arms extended and untied his confinements from the back. That left Boruto, who was moaning in pain because of his stomach, to be the only one tied up. His teammates assisted him and carefully sat the boy down. He clutched his abdomen, trying to quell a growing sickness.

"That's the last time we listen to one of your plans." Sarada complained, rubbing her throbbing temples.

His only response was a delayed groan.

"So I see you're all awake now," Sasuke said. He was munching on food from a bento box, siting beside the monument for fallen shinobi.

None of the Genin replied, too busy staring with envy at the food.

"The good news is all of you passed."

They gasped in unison. "But-"

"It didn't matter if you retrieved the bells or not, only if you used teamwork. I was impressed with every one of you. You're more skilled than I presumed. I've taken what the best and worst skills you possess are and I'm planning to help you improve them later on."

"Do you really think we were good?" Boruto asked, seemingly over his sickness.

"Hn, yes. When Naruto, Sakura, and I took this test, we had no clue what the purpose of it was, nor did we care. In fact, we passed by accident. Pure luck."

The teens gazed at him expectantly, their eyes begging him to elaborate further, Sarada the most curious of all. Sasuke stared at them while taking another bite, wondering if he should go in detail about his own experience. Finally, he spoke. "Kakashi brought us here when we did this..." The man went on retell the events that took place during Team 7's bell test.

"Was my old man really that much of a wimp back then?" Boruto questioned in disbelief after Sasuke finished.

The male Uchiha nodded. "I put how awful and disgraceful he was in a nice way."

The Genin giggled quietly. Sasuke grinned along with them. He had told the parts he deemed embarrassing concerning himself or his wife's failures during the test in a fashion that made it sound like it wasn't too much of a big deal. With Naruto however, Sasuke showed no mercy, spending most of the time on how poorly he performed in the test. He sighed and looked up at the clear blue sky. "It's past noon. I've arranged for us to select our first mission the day after tomorrow, so we'll meet at the Hokage's office around ten in the morning."

"Awesome!" Boruto shouted gleefully. "I can't wait to go on missions!"

Sasuke smirked inwardly. _"Wait until he figures out it's D-ranked..."_ He stood up. "You're dismissed."

Boruto and Mituski departed a moment later, chatting about places to eat.

Sarada frowned, knowing she had no option except to follow her father. She didn't have any money and had forgotten her set of house keys on the kitchen table.

"Sarada."

The girl stopped what she was doing and waited, not making any motion to turn around and face him.

"You did very well," Sasuke complimented hesitantly, struggling to find the right words.

"Thanks," she muttered indifferently. The young kunoichi stood by and stared at her feet, waiting for him to finish checking his bag.

They set out at a slow pace towards the Uchiha household.

"Sarada, I don't plan on leaving again."

She glanced at him through the corner of her eye, obviously labeling his words as lies. "Why do you have to leave at all?"

He sighed. "I can't tell you that right now."

"Hn," she grunted, "not like I haven't heard that before."

Another sigh. "I'll explain later, but not now."

"How soon?"

"I don't know."

"Of course," she muttered in irritation as she quickened her pace.

Sasuke stopped completely and watched as his daughter walked away. Finally, he forced himself to move once again and wondered how he could possibly fix the current situation. That's when Kakashi's advice came to mind.

* * *

"Hey Boruto, come down here for a minute please!" Naruto called from the kitchen table. He had wanted to do this ever since his son mastered the first step in the jutsu he'd been offering him lessons on. It was just out of curiosity and he only expected a slight improvement if that. Boruto had found his "motivation" and now maybe he'd actually put some effort into it.

"I'm coming," the younger male said from the top of the stairs. "What's up Tou-chan?" he asked while claiming a seat.

"Here," Naruto said, placing a few papers stapled together where Boruto sat at the opposite end of the table. Then, he took a single sheet and put it beside the packet.

"What's all this?" Boruto inquired while he studied the papers. "It looks like one of the tests I barely passed."

"That's because it is."

"Why did you give it to me?"

"I want you to take it again."

"What?! I'm exhausted! I was gonna go to bed early tonight! Why are you making me take a test?!" After he came home, Boruto had told his parents and sister all about the bell test and they'd been excited to learn that his team passed.

Naruto grinned. "I just want to make sure of something. Now, the same rules you had when you first took it will apply this time. Fifty questions. One hour to answer them. Start."

Boruto grumbled and cursed under his breath. Reluctantly, he picked up a pencil and read the first question.

* * *

Sakura threw her hands up, earning a sigh of annoyance from her husband. She could care less at the moment. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Because I knew you'd overreact," Sasuke stated matter of factly.

"Well it's obvious you can't handle it yourself. If you're not going to tell her now, you need to let her know why."

"How do I do that?"

"Ugh! Men are so hopelessly clueless!" Sakura growled while stomping to the last step on the staircase. "Sarada!"

"What do you need Kaa-chan?"

"Just come down here for a second!" She made her way back into the living room where Sasuke stood. Their daughter had locked herself in her room the minute she entered the house, only opening it to tell Sakura about the bell test.

"What are you doing Sakura?" he questioned while eyeing his wife curiously. He was actually a bit nervous.

"You'll see."

Sarada poked her head through the doorway. "What is it Kaa-chan?" Her eyes landed on Sasuke and she frowned.

"Both of you sit on the couch."

"But-"

"Sit!"

They were on the piece of furniture in less than a second, not uttering a word.

"I realize that you're both frustrated with one another and continuously avoid each other. I also know that you don't have anything to do tomorrow. That's why you're going to spend the entire day together. You're getting out of the house when I head to work and you're not coming back until the sun sets. If you think it'll be easy to go your separate ways then discard that thought right now. I'm going to be watching."

"I thought you said you had to work," Sarada contradicted in protest.

Sakura smirked. "I have my ways."

"But-!"

"No buts! You're spending the whole day together tomorrow and that's final!" With this, Sakura exited the room.

The two Uchihas silently glimpsed at each other.

"Uh, good night," Sasuke said awkwardly, getting up and heading for the stairs.

"Hn," she grunted standing and going towards her own room.

The girl closed her door and plopped down on the bed, staring out a window. She scratched her head and brought her hand back down. It stopped when her fingers brushed against her lips. She blushed as the thought of the accidental kiss earlier that day replayed in her mind. Even though it hadn't been a real one, it was actually, in her own words, quite pleasant. A small smile settled on her features as she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

"I'm done," Boruto said quietly while handing the test to Naruto.

"Okay. Thanks for doing this. Now you can go to bed."

Without another word, the teen trotted upstairs, taking two at a time.

The Hokage peered at the clock. _"He finished in only thirty-five minutes. The usual time is fifty minutes."_ He then began to grade his son's test. It didn't take very long because every single answer was correct. Naruto even checked it a second time just to be sure. He was definitely shocked. _"Boruto, how long have you been this... smart?"_ he pondered.

Meanwhile upstairs, Boruto rolled on his back, closing his blue eyes. He wondered why his father wanted him to take that dumb test again. The boy knew for a fact he answered every single one correctly. Even the supposed "trick" questions were simple to him. _"Oh well,"_ he thought, yawning. He remembered an event that had taken place during the bell test and traced his lips with one thumb. Grinning, Boruto sighed happily and fell asleep shortly afterwards. In truth, he was glad he tripped over that tree root.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hope you enjoyed! I'll try and write the next chapter as soon as I can. Oh, and by the way, I'm thinking about a sequel to this story if all goes well. We're not close to done with this one though so I won't give you a little idea of what it's about yet. It'd probably have to include spoilers for this one so that's partly why I'm holding off on a summary. Thanks for the support! Please review!


	8. Forced Company

**Author's Note:** Don't know if I'll be able to update in October at all because of marching competitions. If I do update it probably won't be on a Saturday. Anyway, this chapter is the longest one I've written for this story so far, almost 7,000 words. Thanks for the support! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Out! Out! Out!" Sakura commanded, shoving her husband and daughter through the front door. She locked it behind the three of them and dropped every set of door keys the family possessed into her bag.

"Is this really necessary Kaa-chan?" Sarada whined.

"Yes," came the blunt reply. She grabbed their arms and dragged the pair along until they reluctantly began to walk on their own.

"When are we allowed to come home?" Sasuke questioned, hoping to receive a decent answer.

"When I get off work."

Sarada furrowed her brow and frowned. "It'll be dark then."

Sakura smiled happily and put her arms around their necks, tugging them into an unwanted hug. "Which means you'll get a lot of time together today!"

The two dark-haired Uchihas glanced at each other around Sakura's head. "Hn," they grunted indifferently in unison.

 _"This is going to be a long day,"_ Sarada thought miserably with an inward sigh.

* * *

Boruto yawned and opened his eyes. Stretching as he sat up, the Uzumaki peered out the window to discover that it was early in the morning, the sun just beginning to rise. _"Ugh, I'm going back to sleep. This might be my only free day for a while."_ As he got comfortable again, the boy pondered about his plans for the day. _"Tou-chan has to go to the office. Maybe I can work on that jutsu by myself."_ A small grin settled on his lips. _"I wonder if Sarada or Mitsuki would wanna hang out."_ He closed his eyes and continued to think. _"I really can't wait for our first mission tomorrow!"_ Sighing heavily in content, he readjusted the blanket and rolled on his side.

Bang!

Boruto shot up as the door busted open, nearly making him jump out of his skin.

"Rise and shine!" Naruto shouted.

"I thought you went to work!" Boruto yelled back, infuriated that his attempt to gain more sleep had been disrupted.

He chuckled with amusement and put both hands on his hips. "I did. I'm a clone."

"Then why are you waking me up?" he asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I thought you send clones to help the villagers."

"That's right and you're a villager. Anyway, there's a specific reason I'm here. Come downstairs."

Boruto grumbled while following his father to the stairs. Things between the two had continually improved since the day they had spent together. After that, Naruto had cleared time to train with his son when he arrived from work, no matter how exhausted he was. The boy still hated his dad's wake up calls though. To his dismay, Naruto led him to the kitchen table where another stack of papers lay.

The Nanadaime sat down. "All right, do you remember the test you took last night?"

He placed a hand under his chin, pressing his elbow against the tabletop. "Yes," he nodded with boredom. "Why the heck did you force me to take it anyway?"

Naruto scratched his head, thinking of a believable excuse. "Um, well... there was an error when your grades at the Academy wee processed." He put on his best frown of disapproval. "I found out you didn't really graduate."

Boruto gasped, utterly confused. "What?! No, I can't go back to the Academy!"

The Hokage raised a hand. "Relax. That's why I made you retake one of your tests yesterday. If you get high grades on all of them then you can stay on your team and officially graduate."

Boruto calmed a bit at this news.

Naruto took a deep breath to regain his composure. He positively hated intentionally lying to anyone, especially his own son. A small smile settled on his lips. "The good news is you made a perfect score on the first test."

Boruto breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled. "I actually kinda thought I got a perfect score to be honest. When is the next test and how many do I have to take?"

Naruto pursed his lips. "You only need to do the written tests," he explained. That was the only honest thing besides the perfect score part that he'd said so far. Boruto had cared enough to at least perform highly on the physical tests, such as throwing shuriken at targets. "The next one can be as soon as you like."

The boy eagerly slammed his palm on the table. "Tonight! No, right now! Bring it on!"

The Hokage grinned. "Do you at least want to know what sort of questions are on it?"

He chuckled in embarrassment. "That'd be good to know." He picked up the packet of papers as soon as his father slid it across the table. Boruto surveyed the title of the test to discover that it contained questions concerning the history of Konohagakure. _"History is my worst subject."_ The first one read "Name all of the Hokages in order." He relaxed a little at this. _"That's simple enough. This is gonna be so easy."_ The next question said "What is the Hyuga clan's dojutsu?" He inwardly laughed. _"Ha! It's the Byakugan! Kaa-chan and Hima both have it!"_ A smile crossed his features. It changed the moment he silently read the next question. _"What chakra nature is prominent in the Uchiha clan? I can't remember that one. Sarada might've mentioned it once, but I'm not sure. Okay, maybe I need to do some studying."_ Boruto set the papers down and returned his attention to Naruto. "Uh, is it okay if I take it tonight when you come home? I need to study."

Naruto's jaw dropped in surprise. Never had his son WANTED to study before. The only time Boruto studied was when his parents forced him to do it. "Y-Yeah, sure! Whatever you think helps!"

The boy ran upstairs. Naruto stared after him in wonder and awe. His son had become a lot more determined after their talk on the day they'd spent together recently. He smiled and shook his head prior to disappearing with a small cloud of smoke.

* * *

"She wasn't joking when she said she'd be watching us," Sasuke spoke without looking at Sarada.

The young kunoichi gave him a curious glance as they continued to head in the opposite direction of the hospital. She decided not to ponder further over it. Sarada perceived that her mother was usually serious about these situations and the only solution to the current problem was to obey Sakura and spend the whole day with Sasuke.

"Are you hungry?" Sasuke questioned, attempting to ease the tension between himself and his daughter. He knew she had little desire to do this, but it was their only option. Honestly, Sasuke didn't want to resolve their issues in this fashion. He would've preferred sitting at home and having a nice talk with his child. Of course, Sakura was the only person who had a chance to make it happen, seeing as how Sarada was acting rebellious towards him.

The girl shrugged. "I don't know, maybe a little."

"Where do you want to go? It's your choice," he continued.

Another shrug. The young kunoichi stopped in the middle of the road with a puzzled frown plastered to her features. "Are you only being generous because you have to?"

He also halted his movements and faced his daughter. He hated it so much that she felt this way. Now was the time to really put forth an effort to repair their damaged bond, he decided. "Sarada, I'm being 'generous' to you because I love you. You're my daughter and I'm your father. That means we are family. Family does not despise one another because of a simple dispute between a couple of its members."

She opened her mouth to contradict his statement, but Sasuke firmly stood his ground and signaled for her to be quiet. The girl was shocked by his action; nonetheless, she willingly obeyed his command and closed her mouth while waiting for the man to continue. Sarada had never really witnessed Sasuke taking control like this. She didn't know if he was somewhat afraid to hand out punishments and orders or if it was something else. She hardly ever used it to her advantage though. For one, the female Uchiha never executed many bad actions. Two, she loathed exploiting anyone even if she hated their guts.

Sasuke's voice softened. "Do you truly hate me?"

Sarada noiselessly shook her head in response. Ever since she confronted him after training with Boruto late at night, the girl tried to convince herself many times that she despised her father. On the other hand, she knew for a fact that she didn't and probably never would would be able to absolutely resent him, no matter how much he irritated her at times.

Sasuke's right arm emerged from his cloak, a fingerless glove concealing most of it. The man's voice became slightly stern, but at the same time it was full of care. "I'm willing to try if you are."

Sarada was reluctant to take his hand, her mind dwelling on the thought that he still hadn't given her an explanation for what she wanted to know.

Sasuke sighed and placed the hand he was holding out on her shoulder. His daughter stared at him in surprise. "Sarada, I can't tell you right now. I promise I will when we're both ready. Please trust my decision. It's best for each of us at the moment." He removed his hand and returned to his former position with it in front of her.

Her eyes were trained on him with wonder. Hesitantly, Sarada began to move her own hand to his open one. This was her father and she had no real reason not to trust him.

As she put her hand in his, Sasuke silently praised himself for giving a speech like that. He never knew he had it in him and and for once, he actually felt like he was being a good father. He stiffened when she looked up at him with a smile, shifting her glasses with a free hand. A pang of joy surged through his body at that very moment when he returned her smile with a small grin of his own.

"Tou-chan, I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. I understand." He did his best to hide the happiness he felt when she called him Tou-chan instead of Sasuke. He still missed Papa though.

They let go of the other's hand, resuming their trek into the middle of the village and searching for somewhere to enjoy a nice breakfast.

* * *

Boruto yawned and stretched after he deposited the book on the desk. He'd been studying for quite some time and was confident that he had acquired every bit of information he needed for the upcoming test. Normally the boy would "wing it" and answer what he could based on knowledge he already possessed. This time it was different. His spot on the team of himself, Sasuke, Sarada, and Mitsuki had been put in jeopardy and he would do anything in order to retain his position on the squad. He rubbed his eyes and thought, _"Okay, I think I have what I need. I'll review a little before I take the test though just to make sure. Now I've got some time to relax."_

He wandered downstairs and into the spotless kitchen his mother had tirelessly cleaned recently. Boruto looked in the refrigerator for something decent to eat or drink. His blue eyes landed on a soda can and he immediately snatched the item out. The young Uzumaki made sure to close the refrigerator door and exit the kitchen prior to opening the beverage, knowing his mother would endlessly scold him if he were to make a mess.

Boruto sat on the couch for a while, drinking his soda and pondering over what to do with his spare time. _"Hm... Maybe I could play a video game for a bit. I still need to beat that level I'm stuc-"_ His thoughts were interrupted by noises coming from the backyard. Curiously, Boruto hopped to his feet and trudged to the glass door separating him from the outdoors. Peering through, he saw both Hinata and Himawari in some sort of battle stance with their Byakugans activated. A small grin settled on his lips as a new idea filled his thoughts. The boy flung the door open and ran to the spot where his mother and sister were training.

The two females ceased all movements and deactivated their dojutsu as Boruto stopped in front of them. Hinata smiled at her son. "Hello sweetie, you look like you have something important on your mind."

Boruto nodded and grinned eagerly. "Kaa-chan, I've been thinking..."

Himawari held a confused expression as she tilted her head to look at Hinata and then back towards her older brother, anticipating his next words.

Boruto clenched his fists and held them up in front of his chest, his smile growing wider. "Can you teach me some cool moves like you've been showing Hima? I've always been told you're a great fighter and I watch you train with Hima all the time. Please!"

Hinata stared at her son with complete shock and surprise. A frown crossed her features. "I don't know... A lot of them specifically involve the use of the Byakugan..."

The boy appeared to be crestfallen as his hands slowly fell limp to his sides and his shoulders slumped.

Himawari frowned sadly at her brother and walked to stand in front of him. The girl embraced Boruto in a tight and comforting hug. Boruto seemed bewildered at the sudden action, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips when he wrapped his arms around her in return.

Hinata watched the scene from a short distance away and gasped quietly. _"Maybe there is a way..."_ The former Hyuga placed a hand on her children's shoulders. They peered up at her, clearly not expecting what she said next. "I think there's a chance I can make something work. All three of us can train together today."

Boruto and Himawari gave each other a bright smile before adding their mother to the group hug. "You're the best Kaa-chan!" the boy exclaimed happily.

"Okay, let's begin," Hinata explained after they distance themselves slightly from each other. "This move will be new for both of you."

Himawari gasped. "I haven't learned it?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, not yet. I can teach Himawari the normal way with the Byakugan. I'll have to create a variation of it for you Boruto."

He quickly nodded, a serious expression on his face.

"I think I already know a way," Hinata said to ease his anxiety.

* * *

"... and then Hokage-sama ran out of his office with only his underwear on," Sarada finished with a laugh.

Sasuke showed off a small smirk as he shook his head. "That sounds exactly like something Naruto would do."

The two Uchihas were currently finishing up lunch at one of Sarada's favorite hangouts. So far the pair had enjoyed looking around the village in multiple shops and stores. There had been one in particular both of them enjoyed. After breakfast, Sarada wanted to check about buying some new kunai and shuriken to fill up her weapons pouch. Tenten owned this shop, so she and Sasuke chatted while Sarada browsed the aisles. It was taking her quite a lengthy amount of time, so Sasuke peered at her through the corner of his eye to notice that she was staring at something he couldn't pick out.

"Tou-chan," Sarada began sheepishly, bringing him out of his thoughts, "I've had a lot of fun this morning."

Sasuke's smirk morphed into a grin. "Me too. So, where do you want to go now?"

"Hm... I'm not sure. Anywhere you wanna go?"

He shook his head. "Not really."

"Okay..." She pondered deeply over what to say next. "Let's talk about our first mission as a team tomorrow. I assume it'll be D-ranked?"

A nod. "Hn, yes."

"Have you looked into it any? I mean like, do you know what we're going to do?"

"No, because we don't officially have a mission yet."

Sarada gave her father a puzzled look. "What do you mean? I thought you said-"

"I'm letting you, Boruto, and Mitsuki decide which mission we will choose. I think it would only be fair. Also, consider it my treat to the three of you since it's our first one together," the elder Uchiha added, his smirk returning.

She rolled her eyes in amusement. "Sure it is," the girl replied sarcastically.

They fell silent after this, not knowing what else to converse about. The paired thought they had covered pretty much everything on their minds that morning while they journeyed all over the village. A realization came to Sarada. The villagers continued to stare at her father like he was going to start a war at any given moment. She tried to ignore it as well as Sasuke himself did, but failed in the process. Why did they supposedly think that? What terrified or made them despise her father? She thought back to what he said earlier in the morning just after dropping Sakura off at work. He'd tell her things when they were both ready. In all honesty, Sarada didn't know if her patience would hold much longer. The kunoichi needed to know something, even just a single sliver of information, to quell her desire for more knowledge on the subject.

"Something on your mind?" Sasuke asked.

"Hm? Oh, uh, nah not really," she stammered. "How about we head to the training grounds?"

It took him a minute to nod in reply, still focused on her distracted expression a few moments ago.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Shikamaru said with a hint of disbelief in his voice. "You're planning on giving your son tests he didn't do too well on in the Academy, just so you can see if he's a prodigy or something of the sort?"

Naruto spun around in his swiveling chair multiple times. "Yep!" he exclaimed when he passed Shikamaru for the third time. "I got the idea after I started teaching him that little signature jutsu of mine. Boruto got the first step down in only a day!"

The Nara sighed heavily. "And you think it's okay lying to him saying he failed the Academy?"

The Hokage stopped spinning and frowned guiltily, crossing his arms. "No... That's the only part I hate about doing this... If there was some other way way to get Boruto to willingly take these tests I would try it..."

Shikamaru pondered deeply for a moment. A lightbulb went off. "Actually, you might be able to do this without lying AS MUCH."

Naruto raised an eyebrow curiously. "As much?"

A nod. "There's a system hardly ever used because low level Academy students are usually satisfied they passed and keep the grades they originally received. It's designed for students with lower grades than the rest to receive a chance to improve their scores."

"How come I've never heard of this? I could've definitely used it back then. Well knowing me, I still probably wouldn't have taken the opportunity... Carry on."

"You probably haven't heard of it because, as I said before, it's not used often. Anyway, it allows the student to retake the tests they performed poorly on. What are you planning to give Boruto?"

"He did excellent on all the physical tests, but not the written ones. I was only hoping to do those."

Shikamaru lazily scratched his chin. "Okay, but the program requires someone of my status to grade the tests."

Naruto grinned. "You ARE the one that made most of them. So how about it? Will you grade them for me?"

Shikamaru sighed then smirked. "All right, I can handle that. I'll need to look at the one he's already taken. By the way, when are you handing out the next one?"

"Boruto said he wants to take it tonight when I get home." The Hokage reached under the desk and into his bag. He pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to his advisor. "Here, this is the one he's completed."

The Nara took it and placed it in a book under his arm. He began to exit the room, only to pivot on his heel at the last second. "Oh, I almost forgot." He leaned down next to the outside of the office door and picked up a large stack of papers. "These," he grunted while setting them on the sorrowful Uzumaki's desk, "arrived during your lunch break."

Naruto groaned and slammed his head against the desk.

* * *

Sasuke blocked Sarada's punch with his arm. She kicked at his side and he caught her foot with ease. After a moment of standing entirely still, they relaxed their positions and decided to take another water break. The two had been sparring for at least a couple of hours. Sarada spent equal amounts of time on both offense and defense. Sasuke had taken the opportunity to help improve many of her skills.

The young kunoichi plopped down and grabbed a water bottle. She took a long drink and tossed one to Sasuke. Panting heavily after setting it aside, Sarada removed the forehead protector tied around her head and wiped sweat off her brow.

"You need to work on your speed and agility," Sasuke advised. "You'll never get to smash your opponent's face in with that superhuman strength if you're not fast enough," he added somewhat jokingly.

She chuckled and hopped to her feet. "One more round?"

Sasuke sat down and rested his back against a tree. "In a minute."

Sarada smirked playfully. "Getting old are we?"

He snorted in amusement. "I'm not that old."

She smiled and strode to where he sat. The girl stared with wonder at his sword he'd placed next to him on the ground. He eyed her curiously as she picked it up. "What are you doing?"

Sarada ignored his question and took the blade out. She tightened her grip on it when the sword wobbled in her hands because of its length.

"Be careful," Sasuke warned, studying her closely.

"I know," she responded casually as it steadied in her hands. The girl slowly and cautiously swiped with the blade a few times, adjusting to the feel of it. "This is heavier than I thought it would be."

"There are different sizes depending on the person who wields the sword."

Her eyes lit up at this. She carefully sheathed the sword and looked at her father with a glint of eagerness in her obsidian orbs. "So that means there'd be one to fit my size?"

"Ah... Probably," Sasuke replied hesitantly. "Why do you ask?"

Sarada smiled and put the sword back into its original place next to him. "I've just been wondering... ever since we left the weapon shop..."

 _"So that's what she was looking at,"_ Sasuke realized. "You want one? Why? I don't think you really need a sword with your fighting style."

She shrugged innocently. "Well, I think it would be useful to me. I mean, there might be an enemy only affected by attacks from weapons or something like that. Also, I might be trying to conserve chakra or I'm low on it and require an alternative. Besides, you have that big giant purple thing and you still use a sword."

Sasuke smirked. "That 'big giant purple thing' is called Susano'o and I see your point."

She scratched her head. "So... will you teach me how to fight with a sword?"

A minute of silence followed with Sasuke contemplating the idea. After seriously considering, he didn't find much harm in it. He gazed back at his nervous daughter and saw a small ounce of hope in her eyes. "All right, but we have to go get a sword that's suitable for you."

A wide smile plastered itself onto Sarada's features. "You're awesome! When can we go look for one?"

Sasuke grabbed his cloak and threw it over his shoulders. "Right now if you want."

She immediately snatched his hand and pulled him along. He smirked and shook his head at the elated girl while trying to keep up with her brisk pace. Sasuke thought back to when she mentioned Susano'o and how it was one of the Sharingan's many powers. A frown settled on his lips. _"Sakura told me she hasn't obtained it yet. Now that I think about it, even her outburst hadn't been enough."_ He stared at the smile on Sarada's face. _"To be honest, I hope she never activates the Sharingan if it means keeping her away from painful experiences..."_

* * *

Tenten sighed heavily as her most recent customer exited the shop. Business had picked up over the last few days and she hardly got a chance to take a break. _"Must be about time for the Chunin Exams. This year they're being held in Kumo."_ The weapons master laid her head down on the counter and closed her tired eyes. Just as she got comfortable, the bell on the front door jingled as the door opened. She groaned quietly and lifted her head, expecting another picky brat to walk in. She gasped when she caught sight of the pair. "Oh! Hey guys!" the woman greeted the Uchihas. "What brings you here again today? If it's about a chipped kunai, Lee dropped a box when he was helping me yesterday."

Sarada chuckled as she stood in front of the counter. "No, it's not that. And actually, those kunai knives I bought earlier are some of the best I've ever owned."

The shop owner sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. You will not believe how many jerks I've had to deal with because of that... Anyway, what's up?"

Sasuke stepped forward. "We're looking for a sword Sarada can use."

Tenten grinned. "So you're taking after your father, huh? All right, let's see what I've got." She walked around to the large display of swords on the wall with Sasuke and Sarada following on the other side of the counter. "Are you looking for anything specific? Tanto? Katana? Chokuto?"

Sasuke glimpsed at Sarada. "Have you thought about that?"

She nodded and studied the multiple different swords in the display case and along the wall. "I think a tanto is a bit short."

Sasuke and Tenten watched as she browsed through the section and halted at one. "What about this?" The adults followed her eye and Tenten leaned down to carefully pull out the sword she pointed at.

"This is a very good choice," Tenten said. "It's the best one I've got in the shop and it looks like it would suit someone your size, maybe a bit big. It also has the ability to adapt to changes such as say, lightning."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow with slight puzzlement. "Like mine?" He had lost his original blade in the war. The Uchiha had managed to obtain another one that responded to his lightning chakra nature while he was on one of his journeys.

"Mhm," Tenten sounded. She eyed the one on his back curiously. "Can I see that for a second?"

Sasuke clutched the strap that held it in place and tugged the weapon off of his shoulder and over his head. He held a puzzled expression and watched as Tenten thoroughly examined the item. She removed it from the holster and did the same to the one Sarada had found. All three of them gasped in unison. They looked almost exactly alike, only one was a smaller version of the other.

Tenten chuckled. "What are the odds of finding something like this? And in my shop of all places? I can definitely tell you that this is a top of the line sword." She explained further while handing Sasuke his. "They apparently have the same maker, seeing as how they have the same ability and look nearly like a copy of the other except for size. It's very rare to find this type of sword, especially two of these that are almost exact."

Both of the Uchihas were fascinated by this new knowledge. Sasuke looked at his daughter. "So you want this one?"

She grinned happily with a nod. "Yes please." The young kunoichi turned to Tenten. "If you don't mind, can I move around with it a bit?"

"Of course! Just don't break anything."

Sarada gently picked the blade up and traveled to an area in the shop with more space. The young Uchiha twirled it around for a minute prior to delivering two quick strikes to the air. She smiled at the adults. "It feels really light and easy to move. What do you think Tou-chan?"

He smirked. "I think we've found you a new weapon to add to your already dangerous arsenal. There's still one more thing I need to know about this." He put on a serious expression and turned back to Tenten. "How much does it cost?"

The kunoichi chuckled timidly and scratched her head while revealing the price tag. He clutched his chest and leaned on the counter, exhaling sharply. "That's even more than this one was," he said while pointing to the one strapped on his back.

Tenten averted her gaze from the male to his disappointed daughter as she placed the sword onto the counter. A frown settled on the older woman's lips. It morphed into a half smile shortly after. "Tell ya what, since it's for you Sarada-chan, it'll be half price."

Both of the Uchihas gasped in shock. "Tenten," Sasuke started, "you don't have to do that."

She waved him off and sheathed the weapon. "It's nothing really. I'd also like to show you guys something else as a bonus. Follow me." The kunoichi let them come behind the counter and into a back room where she flicked a switch and low lighting came on. At different places around the room, spotlights were placed above various items. "They're things from the last shinobi war. I've had trouble getting customers what with the world being at peace and all. Business has picked up recently because of the upcoming Chunin Exams in Kumo, but it'll eventually settle down and I need something else to keep them coming in. You two are the first ones to see this and it's free. Next time you gotta pay up."

Sasuke smirked. "A museum would have a fit if they knew about this."

Tenten crossed her arms and snorted at his remark. "We don't have one around here yet so no one can say anything about it right now."

Sarada thoroughly studied every item in each of the display cases with interest. _"These are all from the war..."_ The girl's gaze shifted from a large gourd to a headband she had seen countless times in history books, but never the real thing. The emblem in the center of the forehead protector signified the Allied Shinobi Forces. She knew that every ninja fighting in the war received one of these. _"I bet Kaa-chan and Tou-chan both have one..."_

Tenten sighed. "It's kinda boring without all the little kids of this generation running around," she told Sasuke while they watched Sarada look at the items. "I used to chase Boruto-kun out of here every day when he tried to 'play' ninja with Inojin-kun and Shikadai-kun."

Sasuke stared at Sarada in silence, secretly agreeing with the other woman.

Tenten chuckled mischievously and lightly elbowed Sasuke in the ribs several times. "Are you and Sakura thinking about making a few more additions to the family? I think Sarada-chan would like the idea."

Sasuke blushed and whirled his head in the opposite direction with a wide frown. "I don't know," he replied, clearly irritated.

The Uchihas finished their tour of the small exhibit and purchased Sarada's new sword. As they exited the shop, Sarada continued to ponder. _"I can't get my mind off of those items from the war. It makes me want to know what my mom and dad aren't telling me even more."_ She stole a short glimpse of her stoic father. _"I've got to know... He said we should wait until we're both ready, whatever that means."_ Another source of her curiosity came to mind. "Tou-chan, do you and Kaa-chan have forehead protectors from the war? The one in the weapon shop is the first I've seen from the war."

Sasuke halted, obviously not expecting this question. It took him a minute to speak. "Your mother has one," the male answered calmly. He began to move again at a faster pace.

Sarada kept up with him and pursued in her current quest for information. "What about you?"

"I never received one."

She was practically running to keep up with him at this point. "I've never seen your Genin forehead protector. Kaa-chan showed me hers but I want to look at yours."

Sasuke stopped once more, his daughter skidding to a halt beside him. "It's under a bunch of stuff at home. It'll be too much trouble to bring it out right now. Not today." He wanted to change the subject as soon as possible. "We can start your training tomorrow after our mission."

Sarada was annoyed that her father had managed to put off another thing, but she was curious to know her training schedule so she eagerly began to bombard her father with questions on the new topic.

Sasuke inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

Naruto tried his absolute best to hold his drooping lids open. He nearly ran into the wall beside his front door. The exhausted Uzumaki thought about plopping down on the couch until he heard noises coming from the backyard. The Hokage curiously peered outside from where he stood to see his wife and both of his children appearing to have just completed a long training session.

Suddenly, Boruto screamed right behind Himawari and she jumped. Hinata scolded the boy for a moment, but looked to be amused by the situation. Himawari hopped up and began to chase Boruto around the yard. The young girl eventually caught her brother and activated her Byakugan. Boruto attempted to dodge the fast strike coming for his leg, ending up failing. The Hokage's son fell to the ground on a single knee, the other dangling limply.

"No fair Hima! You can't block my chakra points like that!"

The girl giggled and stuck her tongue out at him. Hinata pulled her two children into a tight embrace before repairing Boruto's leg.

All the while, Naruto smiled at the scene. Words could not express how much he loved his family.

Boruto stretched his leg prior to running inside. "Okay Tou-chan, I'm ready to ace this test!"

"Huh?" Naruto questioned tiredly. "Oh, right." He pulled a small stack of papers out of his bag and handed them to his son. "No time limit on this test but no cheating of course. Can I trust that you don't have any answers hidden on you?"

Boruto nodded quickly.

"All right then, you can start. Hand it to me when you're done, but do your old man a favor and try to finish fast because I could pass out at any moment."

The boy smirked and rolled his eyes before settling in at the kitchen table.

* * *

Boruto tossed and turned repeatedly in his bed, the covers strewn every which way. He was positive he'd done well on the test, but that wasn't what was hindering his attempt to sleep. His thoughts were locked on the mission tomorrow, his very first one. _"I wonder what everyone else was up to today..."_ he pondered, mainly curious about his team members. His inner thoughts drifted to another matter. _"This means I'll see Tou-chan at work."_ Panic overtook the boy as he realized he would technically be a subordinate to his father. _"I hope that doesn't affect our relationship too much if I screw up or something..."_ Boruto smiled while staring at the ceiling. _"From now on, I've gotta work real hard at every single thing I do, no matter what!"_

* * *

Sasuke soundlessly closed the door to Sarada's room. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and walked downstairs, the couch being his destination. It'd been a long day and his daughter fell asleep a couple of hours ago. By now, it was around midnight and he was extremely tired. He walked into the living room to discover his wife sitting at one end of the couch with a book in her hands, a small reading light close by.

"Sarada told me all about your day together. Likes like you two bonded quite a bit," she said while gesturing towards her daughter's new sword.

"Ah," he agreed while stretching out on the couch and lying his head in Sakura's lap. She brushed the bangs away from his mismatched orbs and gently stroked the dark locks. Sasuke relaxed and closed his eyes. "Sakura, do you think it was a good idea?"

Sakura closed her book and set it down, giving her husband a curious look he couldn't see. "What?"

He laced his hands together and let them rest against his chest. "That," he said with a nod in the general direction of Sarada's sword.

Her hand in his hair halted for a moment as she glanced at the item. "Why wouldn't it be?"

A shrug. "I don't know..." In all honesty, the male Uchiha didn't know where that question had come from. It just randomly popped into his mind.

Sakura frowned. "Sasuke-kun, what made you want to train Boruto-kun?"

Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at the beautiful woman above him, slightly surprised. He pondered deeply about this question for many minutes prior to giving an answer. Why did he agree to train Boruto a while back? The Uchiha remembered how the boy used to complain about his father and be sorrowful or grumpy, sometimes a mixture. That was when the true reason came to him. Sasuke frowned and returned his gaze to his wife, who was still stroking his hair and training her eyes on him. "I wanted to train Boruto because I didn't want him to end up like me. I never want that to happen to anyone ever again..." His expression became more serious as he said the next part. "Especially Sarada..."

Sakura's hand stopped moving and she eventually removed it from his head, earning a small huff of annoyance by Sasuke at the loss. "I understand what you mean, but... Sasuke-kun, you can't save everyone from their own conflicts."

"Then I'll help as many people as possible," he immediately responded. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone following the path he once did. It only led to regret and sorrow. Sasuke would do anything to help people avoid that road, especially his team, mainly Sarada. If his own daughter ever fell to darkness, it would destroy him inside. Once, Sasuke thought the only way to prevent that from happening was to avoid training with her. After expressing the thought to a select few, he'd eventually been convinced that he was being stupid by thinking such a thing.

Sakura shook her head and smiled. "You're always trying to do everything by yourself. Your stubbornness is just another reason I love you though."

He smirked in amusement. It was then that he realized just how tired he was. The smirk grew wider when he remembered one of Tenten's comments from earlier. Sasuke wouldn't mind a few more Uchihas running around and he was sure his wife and daughter also enjoyed the idea.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I greatly appreciate your writing tips in the reviews so an extra thank you for that! They help me get an idea of what I need to improve on. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the support! Please review!

 **OTHER UPDATES**

I published an Uchiha family oneshot a while ago if any of you are interested.


	9. Too Inquisitive

**Author's Note:** I'm back and marching season is over but I'm still exhausted. Important update at the end of the chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Boruto lifted his heavy lids and yawned quietly. He rolled over and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. The boy gasped and jumped up, rubbing his blue eyes and grabbing the item to make sure he was seeing it right. _"It's already nine! Crap, I haven't eaten breakfast or taken a shower yet!"_ Boruto snatched up some clean clothes and ran to the bathroom, throwing Himawari out in process.

"Hey!" the girl yelped as she picked herself up off the ground.

"Sorry Hima, but I have to hurry!" Boruto urgently shouted from the opposite side of the door.

She repeatedly banged on the object separating the two of them. "Nii-chan!" Himawari stopped when the sound of running water filled her ears. The female Uzumaki crossed her arms and pouted while stomping down the stairs, making sure to get a good thump out of each one. "Kaa-chan!" the girl yelled with irritation when she reached the bottom.

Meanwhile, Boruto was frantically struggling to pull his shirt off. He almost tripped over the edge of the bathtub in the wild process. He had been mentally cursing himself because he'd forgotten to set his alarm clock the previous night. _"This is all my fault! I can't be late for my very first mission!"_ A new worry came to mind as he started to adjust the water temperature in the momentarily freezing shower. _"What's even worse, if I'm late I'll embarrass myself in front of Tou-chan!"_

The boy was going to keep the oath he made to himself. Boruto had no intention of failing to keep his promise of doing everything to the absolute best of his ability.

* * *

Sarada anxiously rubbed her hands together after she washed her plate. Sasuke was getting dressed in her parents' bedroom while Sakura stood close to her daughter, reading off a checklist of items she needed to buy when she took a trip into the middle of the village later in the day. Sarada was inwardly arguing over whether or not she should go ahead and ask her mother to see her Allied Forces forehead protector. The young Uchiha's urge to gain knowledge had become increasingly difficult to control. She had to know something, even just a small fact. Sarada glanced at her mother and swallowed. "Hey, Kaa-chan?"

Sakura lowered the list out of view and turned her attention towards Sarada. "Yes?"

The girl scratched her head nervously. "I was wondering if I could see your forehead protector... you know, from the war..."

Sakura grinned and neatly folded the paper before shoving it into the depths of her bag. "Of course you can! Follow me." Sarada mentally jumped for joy as her mother led her to the family's study. She wondered if she could push the conversation further, leading to why her father did not have a headband from the war. The young girl decided to bide her time and focus on the current matter at hand. She was actually very excited to see her mother's own Allied Forces forehead protector.

Sakura opened the door to the study and scanned the room thoughtfully for a moment. "Now where did I put it...?" Her green eyes landed on an area at a corner of the room on the opposite side of Sasuke's trunk. The former Haruno crouched down after they'd made it to the box's location and she slid it out from underneath the counter. Sarada watched intently as her mother happily dug around in the medium sized container. "Aha!" Sakura exclaimed. She slowly pulled an item out of the box and held it up for the other female to see. Sarada knelt beside Sakura and gently took the forehead protector from her mother's hands. She dusted the metal plate off while staring at the emblem in awe.

Sakura smiled. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Sarada looked up and returned the smile. "Definitely." Her mind returned to a previous thought. Apparently, Sasuke did not have one from the war and she was going to get some information, right now...

"Kaa-chan, Tou-chan told me he never received one of these. At first, I thought it was because of the mission you said he had been on. However, the fact that the mission was around the time I was born contradicted that. Why doesn't he have one?"

Sakura gasped quietly and froze, appearing to be immensely nervous. "Um, well... Sasuke-kun DID go on the mission I told you about around that time. Close to when you were born that is..."

Sarada furrowed her brow in confusion. "But the war was a few years prior to that, right?"

Sakura nodded slowly. She let her hands rest on the ground beside her. The woman desperately hoped the younger kunoichi hadn't noticed how they were trembling slightly against the hard floor. She frantically tried to think of something to say that wouldn't expose too much about Sasuke's past. Sakura cursed silently when a solution failed to come to mind. She couldn't do this, not now. Sasuke promised he'd tell his daughter these things himself and Sakura didn't want to risk her family falling apart again just after her husband and daughter mended their broken relationship. _"What do I do?! Sarada you're too inquisitive sometimes!"_

Sarada raised an eyebrow and shifted her glasses. "Kaa-chan, are you okay?" The girl had been studying her mother with interest, noting how she seemed to become more nervous by the second. A minuscule smirk settled on the dark-haired girl's lips. She hated to do this, but at the same time the desire to do it took over. Sarada had managed to corner her mother on the subject. Her excitement levels rose to a new high, making it difficult to hide. The young Uchiha held her composure and waited for a reply.

Sakura gulped. It was no turning back if she began now, but there was no alternative that could save her at the moment. "Well, um... you see... uh, Sasuke-kun had another mission before the one I told you about."

Sarada gasped. "Another mission? How old was he when he started it?"

She took a deep breath and attempted to make her words sound as subtle as possible. "Um... around the time he was thirteen or so."

Sarada flinched in shock. "That young? How powerful was Tou-chan if he got chosen to participate in all those important missions?"

Sakura mentally breathed a sigh of relief. She succeeded in momentarily distracting her daughter from the truth. Sarada was under the impression that the village sent Sasuke on both missions. The pink-haired woman spoke nervously. "Sasuke-kun wasn't called a prodigy for nothing!"

A frown crossed her features. "You never explained what the missions were."

Sakura's lips separated slightly as her laughing ceased. "I don't have time to elaborate right now," she lied. "Also, don't ask Sasuke-kun. He's very sensitive about this, uh, topic."

Her face contorted between confusion and frustration. Finally, Sarada nodded in submission.

* * *

"Have fun!" Hinata called as she and Himawari waved at Boruto. He waved back over his shoulder, breaking out into a run after they closed the door. The boy knew he had at least twenty minutes to arrive at the Hokage's office. That was plenty of time. Nonetheless, he still wanted to impress his father by being punctual.

Boruto jogged for about ten minutes before the Hokage's office came into view. He grinned to himself with satisfaction and slowed to a walk. He put his arms behind his head and stared at the blue sky. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining brightly and hardly any clouds in sight. A cool breeze made his blond hair twitch in the air. _"Today is gonna be so much fun!"_ He sighed happily and looked ahead at the busy street. People were out with their families, smiling and laughing while glancing at the shops surrounding them.

"Hey, Boruto!" someone called from the behind the boy.

The Uzumaki halted and frowned curiously while peering over his shoulder in the voice's direction. "Oh, what's up Mitsuki?"

Said male ran up next to his friend and smiled. "Nothing much. I was heading to Hokage-sama's office. I assume you were as well?"

Boruto nodded, shoving his hands into the depths of his pockets. The two resumed their trek towards the office. "I can't believe our first mission is today! I've been waiting forever for this!"

Mitsuki smirked. "As have I... I wonder if Sarada and Sasuke-sensei have already arrived."

"Probably. I don't know though. Remember how he was late a few da-..." He stopped in mid-sentence, a dark red blush settling on his cheeks. The day of the bell test. That was when he and Sarada accidentally kissed.

Mitsuki's smirk grew wider when he realized what his friend's thoughts were dwelling on. "I bet she'll be excited to see you."

He jumped back in surprise, the red coloring in his face growing even darker. "Sh-Sh-Shut up!"

Mitsuki shook his head and began to walk once more. Boruto fumbled with his jacket collar after he regained his composure. "A-Anyway," he started, "I'm ready to kick some bad guy butt! There's no way I'm gonna fail!"

"Uh, Boruto, you do know that our mission is more than likely-"

"-and I'll take them all out in seconds!"

 _"D-ranked..."_ Mituski finished silently, knowing his friend wasn't paying attention to a word he said. "Oh well," he muttered to himself, "Boruto will figure it out soon enough..."

* * *

The door to the Hokage's office burst open, causing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sarada to twist their heads around at the sudden interruption. Boruto strutted into the room, his fists clenched tightly and a wide smile showing out of excitement. Mitsuki had a worried look visible on his features as he walked in. The pale boy bowed his head hurriedly as a sort of apology. Naruto sighed and shook his head prior to nodding back in acceptance.

Boruto stopped next to Sarada, who had a disapproving frown on her face. His expression shifted to one of puzzlement as he averted his eyes away from her and to his father. He stiffened and became nervous. _"D-Did I do something wrong already? I have to do well in front of Tou-chan!"_ The young Uzumaki put a serious expression on while he crossed his arms.

"Hn, both of you are here early," Sasuke said, wanting to get to the matter at hand. "The Hokage was just mentioning that we would get first pick for our mission if you two were to arrive soon. The other new Genin teams have their first missions today as well."

Naruto sat up and moved his rolling chair closer to the desk littered with paperwork. "That's right! Team Sasuke-" He paused as the male Uchiha glared daggers through him. The Uzumaki grunted in response prior to continuing. "-are you ready for your first mission?"

The three Genin nodded eagerly, Boruto bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"All right, let's see what we have," Naruto said. He fumbled with a few sheets of paper and picked one out of the pile. "Hm..." he mumbled while studying the page. "I've picked three missions for you guys to choose from. Number one: Catch a group of stray cats that have been causing trouble in a nearby neighborhood."

Boruto furrowed his brow. _"Catching stray cats? Surely there's something better..."_

"Number two: Help shovel manure-"

"No," Sasuke immediately interrupted.

 _"Shovel manure?!"_ Boruto thought, growing increasingly frustrated by the second.

"I'm just reading what I have!" Naruto grumbled in annoyance. "Number three: Deliver mail that forgot to be sent out due to an error."

Boruto clenched his jaw together in an attempt to control his fury.

Naruto leaned back in his chair. "I personally think you guys are too 'elite' to be going on these types of missions, but-"

"But what?!" the son of the Nanadaime shouted. His frustration was getting the best of him. "This is ridiculous! You just said it yourself that we deserve something more challenging than this! I don't need to put up with this crap!" He started to storm out of the office, but Sasuke grabbed him by the collar and shoved the boy through the doorway, closing the office door behind them.

"Get your hands off me you-!"

"I suggest you shut your mouth before I do it for you," Sasuke warned calmly. He let go of the boy's jacket and distanced himself from the man.

"I don't have to take any of this crap!" Boruto repeated. He began to run again.

"Would you like to be suspended from the team?" the Uchiha asked.

The boy halted, his back facing Sasuke.

"Boruto, everyone starts out with D-ranked missions. Even Naruto, Sakura, and I did. At the time, I knew my skill level was high and I knew that I was more than ready for higher ranked missions. I also realized that someone had to do those kinds of simple tasks and if I worked hard, I would earn the right to participate in more advanced missions."

The Uzumaki's shoulders slumped down. "I... I just want to impress my dad..."

"Well you just embarrassed yourself in front of him. You can impress the Hokage by cooperating and performing well on missions you receive, no matter how easy or difficult they are. Now, are you ready to go back in and decide with your teammates what mission we will take?"

Boruto slowly twisted around and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, his head angled towards the floor. "Yeah... Sorry..."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Sasuke said while reaching for the door. The pair entered the room once again, Boruto with a guilty look on his face. The three shinobi inside acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Boruto shuffled into the center of the room, all eyes curiously gazing at him. "I'm sorry everyone," he muttered.

All was still for a minute afterward, nobody making a sound. Sarada was the person to finally break the uncomfortable silence. "Um, Mitsuki and I were discussing which mission we'd like to accept. We want to take care of the stray cats, if that's okay with you Boruto."

The boy stared at her in shock. Even though he'd just been very disrespectful to everyone, his teammates still wanted his input for their first mission. "Uh, yeah. Sounds good to me!" he said awkwardly.

Naruto's frown shifted into a small smile. "All right then! Team Sasuke has its first mission! I'll tell you the details after-"

"Just give me the paper," Sasuke said with an irritated tone. He snatched the document out of the Hokage's hands and proceeded to the door, the three Genin close behind.

"Hey, I'm just following protocol!" Naruto yelled after them. He slumped back down into his chair and sighed, putting a hand over his face. The Hokage leaned his elbow on the desk. _"Boruto, I know how you feel. I was the same way, but we all have to start out small."_ In truth, Naruto was not upset or angry with his son at all.

* * *

"Where are we gonna start looking?" Boruto inquired. After his talk with Sasuke, the boy realized his sensei was right and he should do his best in whatever task he was given. The group stopped and the Genin crowded around the male Uchiha, waiting for an answer.

Sasuke raised the piece of paper he'd been holding so it was at eye level. "We'll search in the place where most sightings have been. The location is a block from here near a few households." He lowered the piece of paper and stared down at his team. "Naruto, Sakura, and I caught cats all the time. That being said, I want to give a word of caution. Cats are quite vicious and Naruto always ended up with multiple wounds after catching them. Although, he is an idiot."

The three teens gave him a puzzled look.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"You're not very fond of animals are you Sasuke-sensei?" Mitsuki asked.

He blew out a puff of air and began to stride forward once more. "Hn, depends on which animal and no, I don't like cats very much. Anyway, which of you is going to ca-?"

"That'd be me!" Boruto said while pointing a thumb at his chest as they walked on.

Sasuke sighed in annoyance at the boy's interruption and glanced towards the Uzumaki. "Take that warning to mind if you don't want multiple wounds."

"Oh please! This is gonna be a piece of cake! It won't take long for me to catch them!" the boy bragged.

* * *

Boruto clenched his teeth in fury as the filthy stray animal continued to claw at his head. "Quit it you stupid cat!" he yelled, venom dripping from his voice. He held it further away from his scratched up face, pressing a button on his earpiece to turn the microphone on. "How many more do we have to get?" the Uzumaki questioned.

There was a quiet pause as static filled his ear.

"Only one," Sasuke's voice came in. "Mitsuki, Sarada, do you have a visual on the last stray?"

"I haven't seen anymore in my area," Sarada responded.

"Hm... I believe I see a tail down below," Mitsuki replied. "I don't want to scare it off so I'm hiding on a rooftop."

"All right, the rest of us will head towards Mitsuki's location," Sasuke finished.

Boruto groaned and mumbled profanities under his breath while the cat sank its claws into the skin of his arms. He stomped out of the small alley he'd been in and turned to face the area Mitsuki had been assigned. _"Just relax. It'll all be worth it later on. Heh, I'm not gonna let a few dumb cats stop me,"_ Boruto said to himself. So far he'd captured six cats, including the one he now had hissing at him. His clothes were ripped open in some places and he knew his mother would have a fit when she saw. The animal in his arms tried to scratch at his face once more and Boruto reached his breaking point. "If you don't quit, I'll drop kick you all the way to Suna!" The cat settled in his hands, almost as if it understood him.

The boy sighed heavily and trudged on. "I wonder if shoveling manure would've been better than this..." The first feline was the worst to try and catch. It'd sped off and Boruto ended up chasing it for a good ten minutes even with a pair of shadow clones after it. The cat jumped into a dumpster, Boruto hot on its tail. He hopped into the large container to grab it. Luckily, the dumpster was empty at the time. Still, the young male was starting to ache because of running and jumping all over the place attempting to get the strays.

He traveled the rest of the way to Mitsuki on rooftop, feeling the minor pain in his feet and back with each push off. Boruto saw his teammate crouched on one of them and landed a few feet behind the male. Mitsuki whirled his head around to look at his friend, eyes widening. "W-?"

"I hate cats now," Boruto said bluntly. The other members of his team had been spotting the animals until Boruto announced that he was close, then they would head to a different location and find the rest. They had originally insisted on helping catch them, but the Uzumaki argued until they responded with a "have it your way". Sasuke said it was still technically teamwork and brushed the subject aside.

Sarada arrived a moment later, also surprised at her teammate's appearance.

Boruto gave her a warning glance, basically daring the girl to say something.

She immediately shut her mouth, not wanting to irritate the boy further.

All heads turned as a dark figure landed behind them.

Sasuke smirked at the boy holding the cat. "Looks like you didn't heed my warning, not like I thought you would."

Boruto could almost feel the steam coming off of his head as well as his ears at the comment. "Just take the dang cat!" He threw the ball of fur at Sasuke and the Uchiha caught the disgruntled animal with both hands, staring at it with an unsure expression. "Boruto, where are the others?"

"I put them all in an empty dumpster I found while capturing the first one," he responded gruffly. "Now show me where the last one is," he said to his teammate.

Mitsuki beckoned the Uzumaki to move closer. "Look down there. Do you see that thing moving? I'm pretty sure it's a cat's tail."

Sasuke walked over to the pair. "Mitsuki, you and I will go and retrieve the other cats. Sarada and Boruto, you stay and take care of the last one."

They nodded and separated. Boruto and Sarada crouched next to each other on the rooftop, waiting for Mitsuki and Sasuke to disappear from sight. Once they were gone, Sarada turned to her friend with an inquisitive look on her features. "So, how did you catch the others?"

"Lots of running and jumping," he said tiredly. "Let's get this over with."

"Wait," she said, grabbing his arm, "are you sure you don't want me to get this one?"

Boruto made an effort to smile. "I'll be fine."

He lazily stood up and dropped to the ground. The cat's tail ceased its twitching at the sound and cocked its head towards the Uzumaki cautiously. "All right you stupid ball of fur, I'm not in the mood for a long chase, so you better make this easy on me." He slowly took a couple of steps forward, testing the animal's reaction. He faintly heard Sarada's feet hit the ground behind him. The cat remained unmoving as he continued to tiptoe on. The boy had gotten to the point where he was only a foot away from the animal and he inched his hands downward. Just when the tip of his finger was about to brush its dark fur, the cat bolted away. Boruto groaned prior to running after it, Sarada right on his heels. The dark-haired cat jumped on top of a large old table, knocking a glass bottle off and and shattering it in the process. Boruto was too focused on chasing the animal to notice a patch of wet ground ahead. "Whoa!" he shouted in surprise as he toppled over. He grunted in pain, feeling the shards puncture his already clawed up skin.

"Boruto!" Sarada exclaimed, quickly rushing to his side.

The infuriated male slammed a fist into the hard ground and rose up. "I'm gonna kill that freakin cat!" He jumped up and ran off once more, a burst of energy and determination shooting through him. The cat came into view soon afterwards, attempting to make an escape through a small window that neither he nor his teammate would be able to fit through. "Oh no you don't!" he exclaimed while diving forward in a last-ditch effort to catch the cat. He grabbed the feline's legs just before it lifted off, causing the animal to hiss wildly. It struggled frantically when he stood up. Boruto fought to keep the cat restrained in his arms, ultimately failing in the end. The animal jumped out of his grip and into a surprised female Uchiha's instead.

"You little-!"

"Boruto stop! I have it!"

He was still seething with anger, but the Uzumaki let the tension in his shoulders slacken. He crossed his arms and watched how the cat latched onto Sarada as if she were its only chance of survival. "Hmph! You're lucky," he said to the creature.

Sarada smiled, petting the cat on the head. "You're arguing with an animal."

Boruto stuck his lip out and pouted. "Cats are evil creatures!"

The corners of her lips twitched further upward at the comment, but settled into a frown a moment later. He shot her a pointed stare, silently asking what was wrong. "Come here and sit down," she ordered. Boruto was slightly taken aback by her commanding tone, but obeyed anyway. The boy plopped down in front of her, glad that he was getting off his feet. Sarada also sat, the cat curling up in her lap. "Take your jacket off."

"Huh?" Boruto asked, an eyebrow raised. "What are you doing?" he questioned while removing the article of clothing.

She grabbed his hand and pulled it towards her, a green glow coming from her other hand.

Boruto watched in awe with reddening cheeks. Sarada was healing him. She'd done it once before after a late night training session. Why his scratches and cuts bothered her so much, he didn't know, but he was just glad to relieve himself of the annoying stings of pain they caused.

Sarada stared intently at her friend's wounds, trying to put all her focus into healing them. Some of the claw marks were quite deep and she didn't understand how the boy could act like it was nothing. It took her a few minutes to fully heal his arms. Next, Sarada gently placed both of her hands on the sides of his face, feeling heat radiating from them. She was oblivious to the light blush resting on her cheeks as well while they sat, staring at each other.

"Sarada? Why are you doing this? It's nothing serious."

She was silent until his wounds were healed, looking almost as if they had never even been there. The female Uchiha tucked a stray hair behind her ear and looked away. "I don't like seeing you hurt," the young kunoichi admitted quietly. "We should meet up with the others."

It took a moment for Boruto to reply with a nod, too caught up with her comment on not wanting to see him hurt. "Uh, yeah... but you're holding the cat."

They exchanged smiles before awkwardly turning their heads and heading towards Mitsuki and Sasuke.

* * *

Sarada sat cross legged with an elbow on her knee and a hand under her chin, bored out of her mind. It'd been a few hours since her team had completed their first mission. She and Boruto did not speak another word to each other after she healed his cuts and scratches. In fact, she couldn't even remember stealing a glance of the boy since then. The young Uchiha was currently sitting in the middle of one of the training grounds, listening to a half hour lecture about how to hold a sword.

"Tou-chan, is this really necessary?" she said with a loud sigh.

Sasuke stopped talking and looked down at her. "What?"

The girl narrowed her eyes in irritation. "You've been going over the ways to hold a sword forever. I think I've got the hang of it by now. You haven't even let me touch mine yet."

He scratched the back of his head. "I'm just going over the basics. Here," he said while gesturing towards her weapon.

She raised an eyebrow. "You're actually gonna let me do something?"

Sasuke smirked. "You've always been quite impatient."

The young kunoichi crossed her arms and pouted. "I'm pretty sure I know how to hold a sword. Besides, I bet whoever taught you never gave THAT detailed of a description on how to hold it." Her eyes popped open and a puzzled look appeared on her face. "You've never told me who taught you..."

Sasuke froze, not even daring to breathe or blink. It seemed like his daughter was always curious about his untold past these days, something he knew was bound to happen. The elder Uchiha would tell her, eventually. "A skilled swordsman," he responded coolly.

"Who?" she pried further.

"A man I haven't spoken to in a long time," Sasuke replied bluntly, signaling for the conversation to end.

Sarada narrowed her eyes, glaring ominously at her father. Why did he continuously dodge questions pertaining to his past? She was tired of it, that was for sure. _"I know he said we both need to be ready, but I'm more than ready. If he doesn't say anything soon, I'm going to find some answers myself..."_

* * *

Boruto lazily pushed off on the floor, making the chair spin in circles faster. It hadn't been too long since his team had finished their mission. He and his teammates had walked back towards the Hokage's office with Sasuke, Mitsuki leaving about halfway there. Sarada and Boruto listened as Sasuke gave an oral mission report to Naruto. Somehow, the two rivals had started an argument that lasted a good five minutes. The Genin exchanged multiple bewildered looks with each other, not knowing themselves exactly what their fathers' dispute was about. Finally, the battle of words ended and Sasuke, along with his daughter, left. "Don't forget you also have to give me a written mission report!" Naruto had shouted. The male Uchiha had shot the whiskered man a glare over his shoulder.

In present time, Boruto occupied Naruto's chair ever since his father left to see someone about an issue with, well, the boy didn't pay attention to that part. All he knew was that he was exhausted and somewhat grumpy. Who knew cats were such, demons? He skidded to a slow stop and sighed as he did so. The repetitive sound of the clock ticking was the only thing filling his ears while his eyelids began to droop. _"Maybe I should go ahead and take a nap. Besides, this chair is pretty comfy..."_

"How the heck do you 'accidentally' lose keys that are attached to your belt?!" Naruto shouted, stomping through the doorway.

Boruto was completely awake by now because of the outburst. He yawned and stretched before moving to get up.

"You can stay there," Naruto said while pacing around the room. "I'm too mad to sit right now anyway."

The boy slumped back down and watched his father walk back and forth across the room. He decided to lighten the mood. "What's the next test on?"

The disgruntled male halted and eyed his son curiously. "Test? What t-?" Naruto froze and began to sweat nervously. He'd almost given it away. The last thing the Hokage wanted right now was for his son to figure out he'd been tricking him into taking written tests. "Oh! Um, I can let you look at the questions if you want!"

Boruto raised an eyebrow at his father's sudden tone change. Nonetheless, he discarded his curiosity and waited for Naruto to find the packet of papers. While he waited, his mind began to wonder. His thoughts settled on something that troubled him for a while now. Naruto was labeled as a war hero. Not just A hero, but THE hero of the last war. Of course, there were other called heroes like his mother, but the current Hokage was always the most known. Boruto heard many times of his encounters with multiple foes, but those were the stories for children. The young Uzumaki wanted to hear a more detailed and better version of the stories, and who better to ask than the war hero himself? "Tou-chan, I've been wanting to know something about you for a long time."

"What's that?" Naruto inquired.

The boy scratched his head lazily. "Well, don't take this the wrong way, but what exactly did you do to be the most famous war hero? All I've heard are the simple baby stories."

At first, Naruto looked taken aback by the question. He slowly placed his hands on his hips and busted out laughing a moment later. Boruto looked on, completely bewildered.

"Why didn't ya ask me sooner? What do ya wanna know?"

It took a second for the younger male to comprehend what his father had said. "Oh, uh... Anything really. I've only heard the little kid versions of the stories," he repeated.

Naruto put a hand under his chin. "Hm," he pondered.

"Wait," his son interrupted, "I know. Near the end of the war, you fought someone and almost got killed. One kid at the Acadmey said his parents told him it was a really evil man that's still bad to this day. Why'd you let him live if he was that bad? Who was it?" Boruto gasped at the man's expression. Naruto's brow was furrowed and he had a sorrowful frown.

"Boruto," he almost whispered, "the man I fought and defeated back then was not evil. To this day, he's still not. I let him live... because he's my friend..."

His son stared up at him with wonder. "Friend?! Whoever it is, he nearly got you killed! How can you call that man a friend?!"

Naruto's frown deepened. "There are thing you can't understand yet... That man has never been truly evil... He was just confused and hurt... I knew that I needed to save him... and I did." He chuckled lowly. "Not without a little help of course. To this day, he's one of the best men I know."

"What's his name?"

Naruto bit his lower lip. _"I shouldn't have talked about this. It's not my place to tell him. How do I get out of it though?"_

Someone opened the office door and stepped into the room with a gigantic pile of paperwork in their arms. The person quickly made his way to the desk and released the stack.

"These just got here," Shikamaru said breathlessly prior to exiting the room.

Naruto breathed a mental sigh of relief. _"I never thought I'd be happy about paperwork."_ He returned his attention back to Boruto. "Well, looks like I have a lot to do."

"I better get out of here then," Boruto announced while hopping out of the chair. He walked to the door and was almost all the way out when he twisted his head to peer over his shoulder. "I want to say sorry again... about earlier..."

Naruto sat in his chair and grinned. "Don't worry about it! I used to feel the same way! In fact, I'm the only reason my team got to go on a higher ranked mission at the time! I wouldn't stop until Old Man Third let us have a more challenging one!"

Boruto smirked. "I'll remember that for later." With this, he ran off, leaving behind a smiling Naruto.

"I probably shouldn't have said that," the elder Uzumaki mumbled to himself. He grabbed the first page on the stack and deposited it in front of him. "Boruto, you're too... what's the word?" He pressed his hands to his temples in thought. "Inquisitive! Yeah, that's it. Boruto is too inquisitive." The Hokage focused his attention back onto the paperwork, satisfied with himself for thinking of a big word.

* * *

 **IMPORTANT UPDATE (COMPLETED 1-10-16)**

I've been thinking for a while about this and I've decided to go back and edit all of the chapters up to here before releasing the next. It's nothing serious, just changing some words here and there. NOTHING ABOUT THE PLOT WILL BE CHANGED! This is probably the most serious part and it's still nothing big. I'm also going to add honorifics and family titles such as "Kaa-chan" or "Hokage-sama". I'm doing this because I think it will make the story more realistic and the characters will be more like themselves. I'm keeping the Japanese to a minimum, only honorifics and family titles.

 **Author's Note:** I hope you don't hate me for doing this, but I just think it needs to be done. I will eventually do this for all my stories but since this one has less than ten chapters so far I'm going to go ahead and do that for this story. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the support! Please review!


	10. Fragile Bonds

**Author's Note:** Finally back. It was mainly writer's block that was killing me. I had trouble wording things a lot. Anyway, I'm sure you've all been tired of waiting so here it is. Enjoy!

* * *

"Hokage-sama," a woman dressed in the signature Anbu uniform and mask called upon entering the room.

Naruto averted his gaze from the window and to the woman. "Ah, what is it?"

She strode to his desk, a folder with papers sticking out of it under her arm. "I have the report on the damage to the Ninja Academy." The woman took the folder and held it out.

Naruto took it from her hand, his brow furrowed. "Oh, thank you. Why did it take so long though? I completely forgot about the vandalism for a while."

He couldn't tell, but under her mask there was a troubled expression. "We surveyed everything that had been damaged and at first, we thought it was just a childish prank. Then we did some extensive searching." She signaled for Naruto to open the folder and he complied, letting her flip through some of the papers to pull out a small stack of pictures.

The Nanadaime studied the photos, trying to see exactly what was wrong. "They're classrooms, each with minor damage." Naruto placed the one on top behind the rest after scanning it. His eyes widened slightly at the next. "This room has major damage."

"That is Aburame Shino's classroom to be exact. We spent a lot of time surveying that one. We eventually found this." She tugged another big photo out and placed it in front of the blond man.

"A filing cabinet?" Naruto voiced.

"All of the drawers were pulled out when we found it. I picked up every one of the files and looked inside to check if anything was missing. The good news is, none of the documents in the files were missing. The bad news is, it was discovered that three of the files themselves were no where to be found."

Naruto placed a hand under his chin. "They were stolen?"

She nodded. "Ah, but it's the people who the files belong to that we are concerned about." There was a lasting silence in the room after this, Naruto anticipating the names.

The woman cleared her throat and began with slight hesitation, "M-Mitsuki, Uchiha Sarada, and... Uzumaki Boruto."

Naruto's eyes widened as he straightened his back, his hands trembling a bit at his son's name. "All of Team Sasuke...? Did you gather enough evidence to point out the culprit?" he asked, a hint of urgency in his voice.

The Anbu member was reluctant to speak. "N-No we did not. Not yet at least, Hokage-sama. We cleared out and cleaned the rooms, taking whatever evidence deemed essential to the case and replacing it."

Naruto slowly stood up, a troubled frown present on his features. He turned to the window behind him and stared aimlessly into the blue sky through the clear glass. "So, if no one has been singled out yet, then maybe it could have been an attack from outside the village. How is that possible?" he contradicted himself. "Our security is top of the line."

"We aren't sure if the operation was conducted by people living in the village or from outsiders."

Naruto's frown deepened. "Why would they steal school records though? If they wanted more useful information, they could have broken into the village archives."

"It's suspected that they weren't capable enough to carry out a plan like that. That's why they went for school records instead."

"If they're planning some elaborate scheme concerning those kids, then I'm positive school records wouldn't be enough. They're definitely working under someone. The question is, what do they want with them? And who are they working for?"

The woman remained silent for a minute. "There were no traces at all that would have been helpful. No symbols or fingerprints, nothing."

"The person in control knows what he's doing then."

She relaxed her position and gazed through the window the Hokage was looking at. "Should I inform Uchiha-sama?"

"No," Naruto said bluntly, whirling around. "Sasuke has already taken care of many threats to this village and sacrificed much time with his family in the process. There's no way I'm asking him to take part in this just after his main mission has been finished."

"What shall we do?"

"Tell the rest of the Anbu to keep trying to see if there's something pointing to the culprits. At least figure out possible suspects. I'll look at the things you found and study everything in this folder. I'm also gonna take a trip to the Academy, check if there might be a missed piece of evidence. This case is not to be taken lightly," he finished sternly.

The woman gave a brisk nod. "As you wish." She was gone a moment later.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _"So someone is after these kids. Someone is after my son... Why? Is it because they're our children?"_ The Nanadaime's thoughts came to Mitsuki. _"What about him though? I don't even know much about the boy. The time he's been here, I haven't learned hardly anything. Nonetheless, whoever is after them has to have a reason for it. I have no choice except keep this information hidden from Sasuke. He's suffered too much, all for the sake of the village and his family. I'll take the lead in this one. Heck, I might be a little paranoid, but this isn't just some coincidence."_

* * *

"Sakura stop. I look fine," Sasuke voiced, irritation and embarrassment evident in his voice. He repeatedly tried to pry his wife's hand away from his clothes and hair.

"You have to look nice for the team picture!" Sakura said, continuing to work on straightening his vest with one hand while using the other to pick at Sarada's hair.

"Kaa-chan seriously," the young girl complained, also attempting to escape from the woman's reach.

"Is this really necessary?" Boruto groaned as Hinata fumbled with his jacket collar. He noticed an amused Shikadai snickering at him from the opposite side of the room and the Uzumaki fired glares back at the Nara. It was Boruto's turn to jeer as Temari strode to her son and started to obsess over his appearance. Boruto and Shikadai always had somewhat of a friendly rivalry ever since they were little. The two continuously bickered at times in a joking manner, both trying to get the best of each other. They were still friends nonetheless. Boruto heard a chuckle and turned his head to the side, his blue gaze landing on Mitsuki.

Mitsuki stared at his teammates with great delight in his golden eyes. Boruto and Sarada growled at the boy, noticing how no one was reprimanding him about his appearance.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Sakura, Hinata, what's the point of worrying only about us when there's still someone else in need of help?" He pointedly cocked his head in Mitsuki's direction.

The two women shifted their attention to the pale boy and studied him. Sakura and Hinata gasped in unison. "Mitsuki-kun, your hair!" The pair immediately rushed to the male's side, attacking his light hair.

Sasuke smirked at the scene and dragged his gloved hand through the messy dark locks atop his head. Sarada and Boruto laughed at Mitsuki, flashing smiles at their team leader in the process. Everyone moved up as Shikadai's team was called, the women never ceasing to pick at Mitsuki's hair.

"Why are they making such a big deal out of a picture?" Boruto asked, crossing his arms.

"Women," Sasuke said. That should have been the only word needed for an explanation.

"Eh, I don't care about photos too much as long as I don't look like complete crap in them," Sarada voiced, shifting her glasses. She gazed at her father through the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but be a little suspicious since he kept hiding so many things from her. The girl also couldn't fathom the thought of him doing something so unspeakable that he would not even tell his own daughter. _"Whatever it is,"_ she shifted her gaze to Sakura, _"Kaa-chan knows about it. By the looks the villagers give him, it seems like they know, too. Something happened before I was born, that's a given, but what? Now that I think about it..."_ Sarada remembered from some of her early days at the Academy when some kids avoided her. She recalled their whispers, hearing "Uchiha Sasuke" often. Back then, Sarada ignored the "bullies" and tried to focus only on her friends. Heck, it was impossible to ignore the rambunctious boy by the name of Uzumaki Boruto, always wanting attention.

"Hurry up Mitsuki! It's our turn next!" Boruto called, bringing Sarada back to reality.

"And... done!" Hinata and Sakura shouted simultaneously, stepping to the side. Mitsuki shamefully walked towards his team with tamed hair, out of his eyes and neat. Sarada and Boruto repeatedly exchanged glances, making a massive effort not to laugh at the pale boy.

Mitsuki innocently stared at Sasuke. "Sensei, what did I do to receive your spite?"

"What are you talking about Mitsuki? You look great!" Boruto said with a hand halfway covering his mouth, still trying to hold back his snickers.

"Next!"

"Oh, that's you guys!" Sakura said as she and Hinata gently shoved the team forward.

"Good smiles!" Hinata said cheerfully.

"Sasuke-kun, at least get that scowl off your face!" the pink-haired woman complained.

"Hn," he grunted, striding towards the man with the camera, the three Genin close behind. They wanted to get this over with just as much as he did. Mitsuki hurriedly messed up his hair along the way. He and his teammates pulled out their forehead protectors and tied them around their heads before the man set them in place. Sarada was in between Mitsuki and Boruto with Sasuke right behind, the traditional setup. The photographer strode back to his camera and the team put on their best smiles, the male Uchiha in the back attempting to make the corners of his lips rise a millimeter or so. Sasuke saw his wife flash a giant smile at his effort and silently sighed. She was so annoying... The others ignored the adults and also wished the man would hurry up and take the picture.

The old male behind the camera counted as slowly as possible. "One... Two... Three... Smile!"

The team heard the click of the camera and relaxed their positions.

"Wait! I think I blinked!" Boruto shouted in panic. He rushed over to the cameraman's side and worriedly asked to take a look at the photo.

Sakura gripped Sasuke and Sarada in a massive bear hug. "Aw, that was great! Sasuke-kun you're adorable when you smile! You looked cute Sarada!"

"T-Too t-tight Kaa-chan," Sarada squeaked out. Her mother released them and instead patted their shoulders.

"Sakura, it was just a picture," Sasuke said with annoyance and embarrassment as he rubbed his rib cage, cheeks radiating heat. His face grew even hotter when he noticed some of the other mothers, mainly Karui and Temari, giggling in amusement at his attempt to smile. Even Sarada chuckled a bit at him. Sasuke frowned deeply and motioned for Mitsuki to come closer. "Go get Boruto. New plans, we're going out for lunch as a team." He desperately needed to get out of there quick and he said the first excuse that came to mind. After Mitsuki beckoned Boruto over, the male Uchiha filled him in and they were off.

"Wait a second," Boruto said, making the entire group halt. "What's the rush?"

"His pride is hurt," Sarada giggled.

"The faster we leave the sooner we get to eat," Sasuke voiced, irritation evident in his voice.

"We're only going if you buy us whatever we want," the boy bargained.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes prior to sighing heavily. "Fine, brat..."

Boruto and Mitsuki high-fived and Sarada chuckled, shaking her head at her disgruntled father.

Sasuke gave a "Hn", setting out at a brisk pace into the village. Those kids sure were annoying and mischievous, but he couldn't help but like the brats. No way was he gonna smile after the picture, not for a while at least. A flash of orange in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Sasuke turned his head to the side to see a pair of Naruto clones traveling from the rooftops. Normally, the Uchiha would carry on with his business, but the serious look in the Hokage's eyes made him stop in the middle of the road. _"His chakra is disturbed... Something is wrong... He's hardly ever like this..."_ Sasuke fully twisted around to face the direction the Nanadaime's clones were headed and started to jump off the ground in pursuit.

"Hurry up old man, we're hungry!" Boruto shouted.

Sasuke nearly stumbled as he remembered what his original intentions for journeying into the middle of the village were. He hadn't even noticed that his team had passed him and was all the way down the street. He smirked and sped up, shaking his head. Smirks, he decided, would always do.

* * *

Naruto pushed off on the roof's shingles, sailing over a couple buildings and repeating the action. He tilted his head to the side, looking at the other clone. "Look everywhere in that classroom. I don't doubt the Anbu, but there's still a possibility that even they missed something. The real us is gonna send more clones located nearby if necessary."

The other Naruto nodded. "So we're looking for anything as small as a single hair?"

"Ah, anything hard to spot."

* * *

"One of these, a handful of those, three of-"

"I don't know if I have enough money with me to pay for all this," Sasuke interrupted Boruto, his voice filled with irritation.

The Uzumaki pointed an accusing finger at the man. "Hey, you said we could get all we want!"

"I didn't say buy out the entire restaurant," the elder male argued.

Mitsuki and Sarada had already placed their orders, both as much as someone the age of thirteen would eat. Boruto however decided that he would basically ask for a year's supply of everything the burger joint displayed on the menu. Sasuke fished every bit of money he had with him out of his bag and slammed it on the counter, scaring the man behind it all the way to the moon. He shouted and jumped back, making his coworker drop a tray full of food and drinks behind him. Sasuke sighed and said, "Do you need any help cleaning that up?"

"N-N-No th-thank you s-s-sir!" they stuttered in unison.

Sarada took a glance at her father, who seemed to be unfazed. _"The guy at the counter has been tense ever since he first saw my dad walk in. Tou-chan is pretty intimidating sometimes, but I've noticed that more people seem angry than worried when they see him. Not knowing anything is really frustrating..."_

"Sarada, do you want to get a booth with me?" Mitsuki asked.

The girl was shaken out of her thoughts by the boy's sudden inquiry. "Oh, yeah." She walked alongside her teammate as they hunted for a booth. Not a lot of them were taken at the moment so they decided to take one in the back, a little more secluded than the rest.

Mitsuki sat down on the opposite side and fiddled with his robe. "You seem pretty distracted today," he said when she stared aimlessly at something behind him.

"I have my mind on something else," the young kunoichi responded, placing an elbow on the table and a hand under her chin. "Has someone ever kept a huge secret from you? Has it ever made you just wanna claw your hair out?"

"Ah, but I wouldn't go as far as to say pull my hair out though," he replied with a small grin.

Sarada opened her mouth to say something else, but never got the chance because Sasuke and Boruto arrived at the booth. The Uzumaki sat next to Mitsuki while the male Uchiha claimed a spot next to his daughter.

"I'm gonna starve before we get our food!" Boruto whined.

"Maybe YOU shouldn't have ordered so much," Sasuke argued. "I'm not even sure that it will all fit on this table."

"A deal is a deal old man!"

Sarada and Mitsuki exchanged a short glance, amusement in their eyes.

Boruto leaned back in his seat. "So how have everybody's lives been recently?"

"Having to put up with you all the time should answer that question," Sasuke snorted.

Boruto crossed his arms, a deep frown settling on his lips. "Hmph! Fine, be that way! Anyway, I've been doing pretty good for a while. My dad has been spending a lot of time with me and helping me learn cool jutsus! And at least I'm not afraid to smile for a picture. You don't have to act so dark and brooding all the time."

The Uchiha narrowed his mismatched eyes, holding back a cold retort. _"You're the adult. You're supposed to be the mature one here. This brat reminds me of Naruto too much."_

"What about you Sarada?" Boruto asked happily, shifting his blue gaze to the girl.

The young kunoichi placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head away, trying to hide the blush appearing on her face under his determined stare. "I-I'm doing okay. Just the usual routine lately."

Boruto narrowed his eyes and leaned across the table. "You're hiding something. You aren't looking at me."

Sarada turned to face the boy, an expression of sheer annoyance visible in her features. "That doesn't mean anything."

He innocently threw his hands up. "What?! I just wanna know if you're actually planning on doing something considered mischievous for once."

The young kunoichi peered out of the corner of her eye to notice Sasuke casting a suspicious yet disbelieving glance at his daughter. _"He thinks I'm a goody goody too... It's better if it stays that way."_ She gulped while shifting her glasses. "No, I am not. Also, if I were going to do something mischievous, why would I tell with him," Sarada gestured towards Sasuke, "anywhere near me."

The Uzumaki chuckled. "So you're still living a boring life, huh?" he teased. An eye roll was her response. "Speaking of boring, how have you been Mitsuki? I hardly know anything cool that you do so I assume you're pretty boring."

Mitsuki appeared to be surprised at his friend's sudden inquiry. "Oh, nothing much. Training, reading, all of that."

"I know you've done cooler stuff than that!" Boruto shouted. His eyes widened slightly when he turned his head to look at the pale boy. "Actually, now that I think about it, I hardly know anything about you in general. Why did you move here a few months ago?"

Mitsuki gulped as all eyes were trained on him. Even Sasuke appeared to be intrigued. "Well, my mother told me to come here."

"She didn't come with you? I've never heard you talk about her. Is she living in the village?" Boruto asked, bombarding the male with questions.

The boy shifted his gaze to the top of the table, a frown settling on his lips. "My mother was murdered."

A deadly silence fell on the people in the booth. They stared at the boy in awe, his teammates shaken at the realization. Sasuke was unmoving, a stoic expression on his face. He was certainly curious for more details, but he would never pester the pale boy about something as sensitive as this. Sasuke was not that kind of person.

"S-Sorry," Boruto muttered in apology.

Mitsuki sighed with a bored expression, leaning an elbow on the table. "It's fine. I've never met my father, but I know his name and that he's still alive. I've heard bad things about him, but I'm not sure if he's still like that."

"Wh-?" Boruto began to ask, but was cut off when a pair of employees brought out multiple trays with food and drinks on them.

Sasuke eyed Mitsuki thoughtfully for a moment, studying his features. _"He looks a bit like... No, that's impossible. It's just a coincidence. Bad things about his father, huh? Hm... I look into things way too much. What are the chances of that thing being related to him?"_

* * *

"Have you found anything suspicious?" the Naruto clone asked the other clone of the Hokage. He pushed himself up from his crouching position behind the desk and eyed the male curiously.

"Nope. Not unless you count a bunch of empty bags of potato chips where I assume Chouchou usually sat," Naruto said with a defeated sigh. "How is it that they don't leave a single trace?"

The Hokage placed both hands on his hips. "I know. I don't understand it much either. The only clue we have to go off of is the fact that they stole Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki's school records. There are still many problems and questions that come from that though."

"Not a single strand of hair, no fingerprints, not even a bit of dirt from their clothing or sandals!" he responded, desperately throwing his hands into the air. "What now?"

Naruto remembered the Anbu member's words from earlier. "Some of the things that were destroyed or vandalized were taken by the Black Ops. We should go take a look at those."

"Right."

The two clones disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Meanwhile, the real Uzumaki Naruto sat behind his desk in the Hokage's office, taking into account what his pair of clones had discovered. The man frustratedly slammed his fists onto the table, a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat. "How?!" he whispered, barely suppressing a shout of anger. The Nanadaime closed his eyes and took deep breaths in order to regain his composure. "There's still the possibility of finding something from the evidence that the Anbu collected. Surely there might be some clue there. Even if they couldn't find anything, I still have to try." The Hokage cursed unconsciously under his breath. He began to think that he was being a little too paranoid. The man quickly shook the thought out of his mind. _"These people are after those kids. No way will I let something happen to them!"_ Naruto couldn't stand envisioning anything bad happening to the people in his village, especially Boruto.

* * *

Sarada yawned and stretched her arms while continuing to walk along the streets of Konoha. The girl was exhausted from training with her father most of the day after the whole team had gotten lunch together. Sasuke focused the entire time on helping her handle her sword and basic techniques. Sarada had no idea how much there really was to using a sword.

The young kunoichi was currently by herself in the middle of the village, staring up at the twinkling stars in the clear night. A small frown was present on her features as she wondered. There were so many questions she desperately yearned for an answer to. Every time she threw them at her father, he'd figure out how to dodge the bullet unscathed. Sarada tried to wait, she really did, but it was just getting ridiculous at this point. Sasuke said to wait until they were both ready but, heck, he wasn't even trying to be "ready" at all! The female Uchiha outwardly sighed and shifted her glasses. How long could he keep playing this game?

 _"I need to occupy myself with some other thought. The only reason I'm out here right now anyway is to pick something up for Kaa-chan."_ Sarada looked ahead and took a deep breath, forcing a smile to reside on her lips. _"Yeah, don't think about that. Think about, uh... Think about-"_ The Uchiha shook her head repeatedly and attempted to hide the blush settling in her cheeks at the image of Boruto smiling at her. The way he inhabited her thoughts these days was so annoying. She wondered why she even thought of him at all like that. The way she should be thinking about him was how much of an idiot he was. Instead, Sarada actually perceived the Uzumaki as sort of cute and she hated it. Or did she? Sarada slapped the side of her head, not caring that it drew attention of some of the villagers walking the opposite way. _"Okay, new thought now. Nothing involving Boruto or Tou-chan."_ Sarada clenched and unclenched her fists until something else finally invaded her mind. _"Hm, I wonder what all Mitsuki was talking about earlier. I shouldn't bother him about it though. He's probably been through some traumatic events if his mother was murdered."_

Sarada had no more time to ponder on the subject as the shop Sakura had described came into view. The female Uchiha huffed in annoyance as she noticed a long line leading all the way to the next shop. The girl reluctantly stopped behind the last person waiting and crossed her arms. Her mother had asked her to pick an item up from this very shop after she had finished training with her father. Sarada complied with Sakura's request, deciding that a walk into the village alone would be nice. Having to wait in line for what looked like forever had not been part of the bargain. There were at least ten people in front of the female Uchiha. _"I can't even remember what Kaa-chan told me she ordered. A special kickknack or something like that. I'm gonna be here all night."_ Sarada peered to the side and saw a shelf outside the shop that held other various knickknacks. She curiously began to look at the items. A whiff of alcohol caught her attention and the girl peeked behind her at the neighboring place. _"Ugh, a bar. This line needs to move faster so I can get away from that. Why the heck is everyone out tonight buying knickknacks?! How many people are inside if there's a line?!"_ she thought with sheer annoyance. The young Uchiha secretly hoped a crazy drunk person would cause a disruption where she could go home and not stand in this line. She silently cursed herself for agreeing to retrieve the item for her mother. She was tired and wanted to hit the bed, but how could she say no to her mother? Especially because Sakura had that "If you don't do this for me, you're grounded" look in her eyes. Sarada guessed that she must've had an irritating day at work. The person in front of her moved forward, bringing the Uchiha back to reality. The girl began to take a step when a mention of her name filled her ears.

"Isn't that the Uchiha's daughter? Uh, Sarada I think is her name," a man in the bar asked the other male sitting beside him.

Sarada redirected her step so she instead went to the side. She then picked up a snowglobe that was on the top shelf, giving off the impression that she was just studying the object instead of eavesdropping.

"Yeah, I hear she's really nice and like her mother once you get to know her. Of course, I've never directly met any of them so I wouldn't know for sure," the male responded.

A chuckle. "Everyone in the village loves those two. Best medic we have and an amazing fighter as well. That one," he said, gesturing towards Sarada's turned back, "is taking after her mother I hear. Really skilled like an Uchiha usually is."

Sarada smirked and stopped fiddling with the object in her hands. It was normal for people to talk about her since she was the first Uchiha born after the massacre. She began to place the item back onto the shelf, but froze as the two men continued.

"Too bad her father has to be an egotistical maniac. I always wonder why he wasn't executed after the war. I don't care if he helped out, after everything that arrogant jerk did. I'm positive there's still more that we weren't told and didn't witness."

She shakily twisted the snowglobe around in her hands once more, trying to act casual. _"What are they talking about?"_

"Tch, I know right. He's a disgrace to the Uchiha name and this village. It's senseless how everyone used to put all their hope in him when he was around the age his daughter is now. The most known prodigy in all of the village back then, turned into a crazed psychopath just like that."

 _"Crazed psychopath?"_ Sarada thought. _"Are they really talking about MY father?"_

"I bet it was all an act, the stoic expression on his face nearly every second. There's no possibility that he could just be completely emotionless after his brother slaughtered their entire clan."

Sarada's heart skipped a beat. _"What? Itachi-oji was the one that murdered the Uchiha clan...? N-No, that's not right. It can't be. Why would he ever do that? Tou-chan always says that he was one of the greatest men he's ever known."_

"Shh! Keep it down!" the other man whispered urgently, barely loud enough for Sarada to hear. He released his grip on his friend's arm and sighed heavily. "But yeah, I think you're right. I remember when everyone in the village couldn't wait to see his match at the Chunin Exams, how girls swooned over him and how guys wished to be as cool as him. Now he's just someone that people want to stay clear of. I don't care if he does 'protect' this village now, what he did back then can't be forgotten as easily as it was."

Sarada took a small step closer to the bar so she could hear the two men better, still clutching the snowglobe. A couple of people cut in line, taking over her spot. The girl couldn't care less at the moment as she concentrated her attention onto the conversation. It was almost as if she could feel their sorrowful stares burning into her back.

"I wonder if she knows about her father. A lot of people won't tell their kids detailed events from the previous war or things such as the Uchiha clan massacre until they're around the age of sixteen. At the library most of the history books have been roped off into a separate section because of that fact. I and others believe it's also because they didn't want kids that Uchiha's age avoiding her or something. Her and her mother don't deserve to suffer for Uchiha Sasuke's wrongdoings. I sometimes wonder if he threatened his wife so she had no choice but to marry him."

"Hm, I dunno. I'm positive the Hokage would know if something like that happened though."

"True..."

Sarada did not hear the next part of the men's conversation. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. What in the world were they talking about?! _"D-Does this have to do with anything involving why Tou-chan won't tell me much? He was on different missions for years at a time. Did something happen on one of them? What could Tou-chan have done to anger the entire village?"_

"I know it's been a while since everything happened but I just can't get over it, especially after all the stories I've heard. Claiming that he'll murder everyone living in this village, then saying he'll become Hokage and 'save' the shinobi world or something like that. Heck, he planned to start doing that by killing all of the Kage."

Sarada's hands became extremely unsteady as they continued.

"I feel the same way about the entire situation. I can't let it go either. You know, I heard that he had a few confrontations with his team besides the war. In one, he tried to kill all of them including his wife more than once. I'm not sure if it's true, but I heard she tried to kill him a couple times as well that same day and couldn't do it."

Crash!

All heads turned in the same direction as the shattering sound filled the area. Everyone stared at the now busted snowglobe pieces settling on the ground, wondering what had happened.

Sarada was gone in an instant after dropping the knickknack on the ground. Her task of retrieving an item for her mother had drifted to the very back of her conflicted mind. The girl slid down the wall of a dark alley after coming to a stop, her mouth hanging open in horror. _"That was my parents they were talking about... No, it can't be true. It doesn't make sense. It just can't be. They would have never tried to kill each other, ever."_ The thoughts of Sasuke continually dodging questions about his past contradicted her first presumptions. _"Did he really threaten to slaughter the entire village and take over the shinobi world?"_ She honestly felt like crying at first. She silently yelled at herself not to be so gullible. _"I don't know at all if what they were saying was true. They must have been really drunk. Yeah, that's it. None of that could possibly be true, right?"_ she tried to reassure herself. The young kunoichi shakily stood up and regained her composure, beginning her trek towards the Uchiha Manor.

* * *

Boruto read the question for the fifth time, checking the answer he'd scribbled onto the paper once more. He wanted to make absolutely sure that every answer was correct or at least seemed like it. He placed the paper on the table and rubbed both of his eyes tiredly. He leaned back in the chair and took a glance at his father, which morphed into a curious stare. He noticed that Naruto appeared to be tense, frustrated even, ever since he'd come home. _"Maybe he had a bad day at the office. I'll just finish checking these last couple of problems and then I can get out of his hair."_

Naruto looked at the wall opposite him with a deep frown, brow creased. He would get a chance to exam the evidence the Anbu had collected tomorrow and he was more than anxious to get his hands on the items. His chances of achieving a good nights sleep steadily decreased the more he thought and the more paranoid he became. Heck, someone might be watching them at that very moment. _"If we can't discover any big clue tomorrow then I need to take precautions. Boruto will be fine under my watch. No way am I gonna tell Hinata and let her worry. I don't want to explain any of this to Sasuke or Sakura either. I regularly have people checking up on Mitsuki since he lives alone. I don't even know what exactly to do,"_ he argued in his head. He sighed heavily and placed both hands on his face, groaning.

"Here ya go!" Boruto said, making the elder Uzumaki turn in surprise. He hadn't noticed his son because of the issue plaguing his mind.

The Hokage forced a grin onto his lips and took the test from Boruto's hand, scanning a few of his answers. "Looks pretty good to me. I can get your grade back after I come home tomorrow."

The younger male claimed a spot on the couch beside the Nanadaime. "Okay, I'll wait until then. Everything all right?"

"Uh," Naruto began, scratching his head, "yeah. I'm just a little stressed at the moment because of something that happened at work. Nothing to worry about. In fact, nothing serious at all!"

Boruto cast a strange look at Naruto. "If it's not very serious then why are you stressed?"

Naruto gulped. He wasn't very good when under pressure. "I-I better get to bed! Long day ya know! I'm about to pass out!" He jumped up and strode to the stairs, taking two at a time. "Don't stay up too late!" Naruto said before disappearing into the hallway.

Boruto kept his weird expression and stared at the place where his father had vanished. _"Well that was odd. Maybe I should do some snooping. He's definitely hiding something. Ah, I'm too lazy tonight. It can be delayed."_ The boy flopped back and accidentally kicked something at the edge of the couch's leg. He huffed and rolled off the furniture, looking at the bag he had knocked over. Some of its contents had spilled out of the opening. Boruto crawled over to it, ready to fix it, then he froze. One of the things poking out of the hole was what appeared to be a file with his picture. He slowly tugged it out of the bag and peered at the photo. _"Hm, looks like one I took while I was at the Academy."_ He peered around on the front to discover that his suspicions were proven to be true. _"Why does Tou-chan have a copy of my Academy records?"_ he pondered. Boruto opened the file and saw copies of the tests he had taken while at the Academy. _"None of the ones I've retaken are in here."_ The Uzumaki flipped through the pile of papers and cringed at the discipline report. He put that to the side and found the final paper in the stack, a slightly different color than the rest. It was his average, the failing one. He decided to take a peek at it and see how far he was from passing. Boruto gasped and brought the paper closer to his eyes. _"What the-? This is clearly a passing grade. It says I passed all my tests! Barely, but still! Why did Tou-chan tell me I failed then?"_

Boruto didn't know how to feel about this discovery. He double checked everything on the paper to make sure he wasn't mistaken. _"So... he lied to me? Why would he do that about something like this though? Is that what he's hiding?"_ The boy shifted his gaze to the top of the stairs once more. _"Okay, fine. I'll keep taking these tests until I find out what's up. I thought he'd stopped lying to me but I guess I was wrong."_ Boruto shoved the stack of papers back into the file and into Naruto's bag. He stayed stationary at his spot with his back against the couch. He stared at the floor with a frown, pondering over the situation. He was still torn over how he should feel.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Don't really know what to say so I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the support! Please review!


	11. Unanswered Questions

**Author's Note:** I hate being so tired all the time these days. It's harder to write when you're about to pass out, lol. Can't wait until the school year ends and maybe then I can actually get some rest and have more time to write. Enjoy!

* * *

Sasuke could easily detect the tremendous tension in the air between the three Genin. It seemed to radiate off of the trio frequently, making it quite noticeable. The male Uchiha kept his mouth shut about it for the most part, deciding to give them something else to focus on besides whatever was bothering the trio. He attempted to make the team's training session fun by arranging a few friendly contests and letting them have a free sparring session. Sasuke noted that it was partly working but the tension still remained, hidden behind their determined expressions as they fought against each other.

"No fair Sarada!" Boruto yelled as he rubbed the back of his head and got back to his feet.

"All is fair in love and war," the girl said with a smirk, Mitsuki chuckling beside her.

"This is a sparring session not war! I thought we were ALL supposed to be going against each other, not double teaming me!" he screamed in response.

"Since when were there any rules?" Mitsuki spoke sarcastically.

"Hmph!" the boy snorted, crossing his arms. "Okay I'm bored. Teach us something else old man."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Like what? I thought you'd like it if I allowed you to have a three way sparring session."

"Yeah but they're just being jerks now," Boruto complained. "Let's do some weapon training again."

"Sore loser," Mitsuki muttered with a grin, causing Sarada to giggle.

The Uzumaki bit back a cold retort and turned his head in Sasuke's direction. "When is our next mission? And please tell me it doesn't involve cats again."

"I was hoping to arrange one later today," Sasuke responded. He felt the urge to figure out what exactly the problem was with the three of them, especially Sarada. The previous night, his daughter had come home looking shaken and somewhat afraid. Sakura had immediately asked the girl what happened and Sarada replied with an "I was alone and got creeped out because I thought someone was watching me". Sasuke raised his eyebrows at this. Sarada was not one to be easily spooked by something such as that. It was this and the fact that she wasn't such a great liar. As for Mitsuki and Boruto, he had no clue as to what was bothering them.

"Sensei," Mitsuki began, shaking Sasuke out of his thoughts, "may I be excused from the rest of today's training?"

Boruto gave his friend a curious look. "You already wanna leave? Are we that boring?" he said jokingly with a chuckle.

Mitsuki gave a half smile at the comment, lasting only a second at most. The pale boy swallowed and turned away so that his face was hidden from view. "It's the anniversary of my mother's death... It's been a whole year..."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, his fingers twitching against his knee. "Ah, go ahead. I understand."

Mitsuki turned to the elder male and bowed respectfully. "Thank you," he said quickly before walking at a brisk pace in the opposite direction.

His teammates stared after him with small frowns, not knowing what else to say on the subject. Sasuke cleared his throat and stood up, deciding to make an attempt at switching the topic. "Well, I guess we could get back to weapon accuracy training."

Sarada drummed her fingers against her thighs uncomfortably. She could barely look at her father after everything she had overheard the previous night. She was so conflicted that it was impossible to make her mind drift away from the troublesome subject. The girl wanted to confront her father on the matter, but when, how? What should she say? Sarada felt the tempting urge to just scream it out right then and there, release the frustration that had been building up for quite some time now. She fought it and took a deep breath, tilting her head downwards. "C-Can I be excused also?"

The two males looked at the young kunoichi in surprise. "Why?" Boruto asked before Sasuke could.

She gulped and frantically tried to come up with a believable lie. "Um, I'm not feeling too well. I can make up for this later."

Sasuke blinked at his daughter several times. It was an obvious lie. Well maybe it sort of was and sort of wasn't. He definitely knew there was something bothering her, but not to the extent that it made her sick, or was it? "I guess," he finally said. He and Boruto watched as the female Uchiha walked away.

When she escaped their line of sight, Boruto turned to his master. "I guess it's just you and me now."

"Great," Sasuke muttered in annoyance.

Boruto ignored the comment as an expression of concern crossed his features. "What's wrong with Sarada?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," the Uchiha responded. "I'm not being a very good team leader am I? Much less a father..."

"You're all right," Boruto chuckled lightheartedly.

Sasuke's frown deepened as he stared in the direction his daughter had disappeared in. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "I've never really been great at talking to her."

Boruto swiped his hand through the air dismissively. "Eh, I think all dads are like that. I know mine is. Besides, she's a girl. They're always fussing or worrying about something. Sarada isn't a normal girl though," Boruto rambled on absentmindedly, earning a raised eyebrow from Sasuke. "I wonder how she feels about that time I accidentally kissed her."

"What?" Sasuke questioned, not quite sure he heard the boy correctly.

Boruto was quickly brought back to reality, realizing what he'd just said. "N-NOTHING! D-D-Did I say kiss? I m-meant hit! Yeah, I accidentally hit her once and things didn't go too well!"

Sasuke eyed the Uzumaki suspiciously for a moment and decided to brush the thought aside. He was too tired to argue with the boy or reprimand him. Plus he imagined his daughter would have smacked the daylights out of him in either scenario and done his job for him. "Little dobe."

Boruto breathed a mental sigh of relief. He just escaped certain death without a scratch. "She might've gone because she didn't want to do weapons training again. I mean, she's amazing with them and she's been learning how to fight with a sword. Maybe Sarada is just bored with it."

 _"We could have done something else then,"_ Sasuke thought. "Maybe," he replied instead.

"I could use some help though. I'm not too bad with throwing weapons but my accuracy needs work," Boruto explained. "Shuriken jutsu has never really been my thing."

* * *

Naruto angrily trailed a hand through the blond hair atop his head. Words could not express the immense frustration he was feeling in that moment. "Is there anything else you guys took?" he asked with as much self control as he could muster.

The muscular ANBU member shook his head. "That was the last item Hokage-sama."

The Nanadaime cursed multiple times in his head, clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly.

 _"Naruto, you need to calm down,"_ Kurama's voice echoed inside his head.

The Uzumaki took a slow, deep breath. "So we don't have any leads at all?"

The man looked at the ground. "No sir. I apologize on the behalf of the entire ANBU."

"It's fine. We have options. I still don't want this to be taken lightly. I want more visits to regularly be taken to Mitsuki's apartment. I also want members to keep an eye on him, Boruto, and Sarada. I trust that you'll keep your presence hidden from them and everyone close by. Not even Sasuke is to know about this," Naruto ordered sternly.

The man nodded immediately. "We will take whatever precautions you deem necessary Hokage-sama. Anything else?"

Naruto stared at his feet for a moment, pondering on the subject. "Actually yes. Can you round up any known criminals that might fit into this situation? Sorry I'm asking so much."

"No need to apologize sir. It will be done as soon as possible."

"Thank you," Naruto said. "You're dismissed."

With this, the ANBU member gave another nod and was gone a moment later.

Naruto groaned and plopped down in the middle of the floor. His eyes scanned the items considered evidence once more. Nothing. No true evidence had been discovered at all. Not when he or any of the ANBU members thoroughly searched the items. The only thing the Uzumaki could ponder was how? Not a single trace left anywhere and it frustrated him to no end. _"What do you think Kurama?"_

 _"I'm not sure what to think,"_ the fox replied. He paused for a moment. _"Having them watch the kids might be helpful in terms of finding a lead."_

 _"I see what you mean but all of this is completely weird. I dunno, maybe I should have someone watching Himawari also, just in case."_

Naruto stood up and exited the room, beginning to travel towards his office. The moment he set foot in the spacious room, the Nanadaime paced around it tirelessly, racking his brains for possible suspects. There were a handful of criminals in recent years that came to mind, but one in particular began to cloud his thoughts and he stopped, staring straight ahead. _"He certainly would be a top candidate in a situation like this, but it's literally impossible. Sasuke killed him."_ The Uzumaki closed his blue eyes, frown intensifying, as he remembered how all of that went down. It had been part of his best friend's mission, one of the reasons Sasuke had sacrificed so much time with his family. Luckily, the Uchiha had been able to take short "breaks" from his missions if leads went cold or there were none entirely, spending a few days and sometimes up to two weeks with his wife and daughter before departing once more. The mission to take care of the threat THAT man posed had come up in the middle of Sasuke's main mission, the time that took eventually causing the main mission to be extended until just recently. Sasuke had finally finished it, taking care of the ultimate threat to the shinobi world. That's why Naruto was so reluctant to mention anything about this to his best friend. Sasuke didn't deserve the burden, and Sakura and Sarada certainly didn't either.

The Hokage pulled his chair away from the cluttered desk and sat down, the serious expression on his features still lingering. _"Not again,"_ he concluded. Never again would he ask the man and basically the rest of his family to suffer from separation. Naruto remembered a time when Sarada was little and she would often spend her days at friends' and relatives' houses, most often his, while Sakura worked. The sorrowful looks and angry expressions she tried so hard not to show always filled his mind when he thought of those times. It was very rare for a day when she was over that he did not notice a look of pain on her face at least once.

 _"Hopefully I can handle it this time. There were no alternatives back then, what with Sasuke being the only one that can travel to different dimensions. I promise I'll do everything in my power to stop this if it's a real threat,"_ Naruto silently vowed.

* * *

 _"Seventy-two, seventy-three,"_ Sarada counted in her head. She had been punching and kicking the makeshift "enemy" that was really just a long and thick piece of wood sticking out of the ground. The Uchiha had been alternating between left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, for the exercise. She didn't know how long she'd repeated it, but it was really just something to blow off some steam.

The many questions and contradictions invaded her mind, both sides of the argument having an endless war inside her head. It wouldn't go away no matter how hard she tried and it wouldn't until she got the truth, all of it.

 _"What did he do? Were the men at the bar lying, were they just really drunk?"_ Sarada struggled with processing the thought of her father being an "egotistical maniac". She couldn't imagine it. It just didn't seem right. The accusations the men at the bar made didn't make sense, yet they did at the same time. It frustrated Sarada to no end.

 _"He's hiding things from me and I hate it. BOTH of them are!"_ Sarada thought angrily, referring to her parents. The girl began to punch and kick the wood harder, making it sway slightly with every connection. _"What have they been keeping from me?!"_

Punch.

Sway.

 _"Why does he leave us?!"_

Punch.

Sway.

 _"Is it all an act?! What happened to make everyone angry and scared of him?!"_

Kick.

Sway.

 _"HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN LIED TO?!"_

Sarada kicked the board much harder than she intended, using her superhuman strength in the process. The board broke in half with an ear splitting crunching sound, splinters implanting themselves in Sarada's leg. She hunched over and panted heavily while pieces of wood fell to the ground. The young kunoichi wanted to confront Sasuke, but she couldn't do it. Even though she may have been told some correct things, she didn't know for sure and the girl suspected that he still might try to dodge her questions. The Uchiha needed to figure out a few things for herself, just so she could have some proof and then he wouldn't be able to escape the questions thrown at him.

* * *

Sasuke peered into the wide open door of the Hokage's office, raising an eyebrow as he did do. Naruto was pacing around the room, a hand under his chin and a very serious expression on his face. The Uzumaki glanced to the side and stopped moving once he noticed the Uchiha standing in the doorway. "Oh, I didn't hear you coming Sasuke. What's up?"

The Uchiha hesitated before stepping into the room and announcing his business. "I was hoping to arrange another mission for my team."

"Ah," Naruto said while placing a fake smile onto his lips, "I was wondering when you'd ask for another." The Nanadaime walked behind his desk and pushed his rolling chair out of the way. He studied the various piles of paperwork on the desk and finally picked up a small stack near the edge of the right side. "Hm, here's one I had in mind. There's been a nonnative species of fish in the river under the bridge we used to wait so long on Kakashi-sensei. It's been eating the native species and the population is starting to get out of hand."

"So basically we're going on a fishing trip," Sasuke stated. With a sigh, he gave a "Hn" to show that he would accept it.

Naruto wrote something on the document prior to handing it to his best friend. "Your team won't be the only one there. Shikadai, Inojin, and Chouchou's team will be as well."

"That's fine," Sasuke said with a bored tone. "As long as we get a mission. Now Boruto will quit whining."

Naruto's fingers twitched at the mention of his son. He had a couple of clones home with the boy at that very moment to entertain, but mainly protect, him, just in case.

Sasuke caught the slight movement and that made him remember the previous day when the Hokage was hopping on the rooftops, giving off the impression that something bad had occurred.

"Anything else?" Naruto questioned with that fake smile still plastered to his lips.

"Actually, yes," Sasuke responded, folding the paper and shoving it into his bag. "Around noon yesterday I saw a couple of your clones on the rooftops heading somewhere. I just wanted to make sure that nothing peculiar was going on. So?"

Naruto's fingers twitched yet again. He cursed in his head, beginning to panic. _"How do I tell a believable lie to Sasuke?! He always knows when I lie!"_ He continued to curse silently, this time directing it at the Uchiha standing on the other side of his desk. Naruto scratched the back of his head and chuckled lightly. "Ah, you know, I got an alert about some thief going around. Wanted to hurry and catch him."

Sasuke narrowed his mismatched eyes. "Naruto, the look on your face was way too serious to be about chasing some simple criminal. What was it really?"

The blond male couldn't speak. He desperately racked his brains for a more believable lie. _"That was a terrible lie. Ahh, what do I say?!"_ Naruto scratched his head for a second time, looking at the floor. "Look, it's nothing to worry about. Probably just some dumb teenager playing a prank."

"First of all," Sasuke began bluntly, "what exactly are we talking about? Second, 'probably'?"

"The vandalism at the Academy a while ago," he replied. "I had to check some stuff out."

"And why did you appear to be so serious?" the Uchiha continued. He was determined to get a straight answer from the man.

"Uh..." Naruto started to panic again, frantically trying to come up with another lie.

"Naruto," Sasuke said darkly, "if this involves my family's safety being jeopardized in any way..."

The Hokage looked up just in time to see a pair of gloved hands, one heavily bandaged, sail across the desk and latch onto his collar. He placed his hands on the desktop to steady himself as Sasuke yanked him forward so that they were mere inches apart.

"... then you better tell me in the next few seconds."

* * *

Boruto concentrated with everything he had on the task at hand. His hands were in front of him, making it seem as if he were holding an invisible object. He finally did it! He completed the final step to learning the jutsu. Now he was trying to do the real thing. The moment he realized he achieved the final step, a tiny blue light had appeared in his palm for one fleeting moment. That gave him the confidence to now try and master it for real though.

"You can do it! Keep trying!" the two clones of his father encouraged from a few feet away.

And keep trying he did. Small beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks as he continued to focus. _"This is what I've been training for! Come on, I have to do this!"_ Within ten seconds, he saw a small blue ball beginning to form in his hands and got excited. He could feel the air around him gently moving with the ball. The Naruto clones ran in front of him and watched in awe as the blue ball grew to the size of a marble, then a large bouncy ball, then...

... it stopped increasing in size.

"You did it!" the clones shouted in unison, smiling from ear to ear at the boy.

"It's tiny though," Boruto said, disappointment filling his voice.

"Cheer up! You're performing a very difficult jutsu!" one attempted to improve his mood.

"After all that hard work," Boruto started, raising his hands with the blue ball still swirling between them, "this is what I get?!" The boy threw his hands at the ground directly in front of his feet. Everyone gasped as it left his hands and disappeared, causing a small explosion at the close proximity a moment later. One of the clones vanished after being flung backwards, the other stumbling away, gawking in bewilderment. Boruto sat on the ground, staring with wonder at the small hole in the ground. "What just happened?"

It took a minute for the remaining clone to speak as he studied the recent occurrence and the newly made dip in the ground. Suddenly, excitement filled his features as he rushed to his son and grabbed his forearms, pulling him up off the ground. "That was amazing!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But what the heck happened?!" Boruto shouted, utterly confused.

"It disappeared!"

Boruto broke away from his father's grip and threw his hands into the air. "I saw that! I meant how did the ground explode?!"

"The jutsu didn't stop when you threw it! Boruto, you can throw it and make it appear to vanish, when in reality it's still there!" Naruto explained. "Well, that's what it seemed like at least. You'll have to try it a couple more times before we know for sure."

Boruto froze when it dawned on him. "So... I just somehow made my Rasengan invisible and at the same time I threw it?"

His father nodded multiple times. The boy was positively dumbfounded. "You mean, I did all that... on my first try with the real deal?!"

The Hokage still appeared to be slightly shocked as well. "This shows that you have real talent Boruto! It's awesome! I'm really proud of you!"

Boruto beamed at his father's last comment, his blue eyes sparkling in the evening sunlight. "Y-You're proud of me?"

"Of course I am! You worked really hard to accomplish this!" Naruto responded with great pride.

"Tou-chan!" came a call from inside the Uzumaki home.

"Heh heh, looks like your sister needs me," the Nanadaime's clone announced, opening the door and disappearing into the house.

A wide smile had been plastered to Boruto's face for the last couple of seconds, but it quickly faded as negative thoughts once again broke through the barrier of his mind. _"I'm still irritated that he lied to me about my Academy grades. I hate having to take those dumb tests again. Ah well, I'll figure it all out later. I really wish Tou-chan could have been here in person to see me perform that epic Rasengan though."_ Boruto's gaze shifted to the dip in the earth below his feet. _"I hope things aren't gonna go back to how they used to be when he'd send clones to almost everything instead of bothering to be there himself. I think the only recent thing he's been to is my graduation ceremony..."_ The boy was quick to reprimand himself. _"I don't need to start thinking like this. Tou-chan is an extremely busy guy. He definitely would've been here if he could,"_ Boruto tried to reassure himself. _"Wouldn't he?"_

* * *

Sarada lay in the middle of one of the training fields, the grass tickling her arms that were folded behind her head, as she stared into the star filled night sky. She wanted to delay her return home for as long as possible. She needed time to think and time to decide what to do about the whole situation. It was too much to take in all at once. Of course, Sarada didn't even know if any of it was true. It seemed to be fact yet fake at the same time. There were things that did appear to be correct and things that just had to be lies. Her father was no crazy murder. It was definitely all lies, right?

The young Uchiha sighed out loud. _"Those looks the villagers give him, it makes the things I overheard seem real. Why would Tou-chan ever do something like what they described? And... he'd never, ever, attempt to hurt Kaa-chan, much less kill her."_ That was the biggest contradiction to the men's accusations. Sasuke loved his wife and daughter more than anything else in the world, so it made absolutely no sense whatsoever that he'd try to harm Sakura. _"I just don't know what-"_

"Hey-o!"

Sarada squealed in surprise and sat up with lightning speed as a head appeared above her own, the sound of the metal on their headbands smacking against each other resonating throughout the area. Her cheeks grew bright red with embarrassment when she turned to face her friend. "S-Sorry," she stuttered.

"Nah, that was my fault," Boruto apologized, lifting his forehead protector to rub at the slightly red spot underneath from the impact. "Heh, that's why we have these!" he joked.

Sarada flashed a small smile before it shifted back into a frown. "What are you doing here?"

"I was taking a walk and I saw you out here," he explained. "I needed a break from being at home. My old man's done something that bothers me and I'm not sure-" Boruto stopped talking once he noticed the troubled look on her face. "Hey, you okay? Earlier you seemed, I don't know, like this."

Sarada sighed and shifted her glasses with two fingers. "Yeah, I just haven't been feeling well today," she lied. Well, it wasn't a complete lie, considering the fact that she was worried about the possibility of her father being a bloodthirsty maniac.

Boruto eyed her suspiciously for a moment before he discarded the feeling. "Eh, nice night out isn't it?" he asked, making an effort to switch the topic of their conversation. _"Really, is that all you could come up with?!"_ the boy silently reprimanded himself.

"Uh, yeah I guess so," Sarada responded awkwardly. She shuffled around in her sitting position uncomfortably, part of her wishing that her friend would leave and the other half... The Uchiha blushed lightly and made sure that Boruto couldn't steal a glimpse of her face, a ghost of worry still visible in her features. It wasn't wrong to want just a small hug from her best friend, was it? Sarada felt the increasing pressure building up on her stiff shoulders, that feeling of being alone. It was like being crushed slowly and calling out for help, but no one would come no matter how close they were. The girl was shaken out of her thoughts by a chuckle and she took a deep breath before turning to face the boy again.

Boruto hopped up and placed both hands on his hips with what appeared to be a smile of pride. "Guess what I did today!"

Sarada couldn't help but give a grin at his stance and excited attitude. "Got a brain?" she joked.

The Uzumaki fired a glare at his female friend and crossed his arms. "I have a pretty good brain already and I'm about to prove it to you." He walked to stand directly in front of her and offered a hand, which she shyly took. Boruto led her to a spot in the training field that was approximately twenty feet away from the closest tree. "Watch closely," he said, pointing at the tree. The Uzumaki waited until she focused her attention on its trunk prior to taking a few deep breaths, calming his nerves. He had managed to form two mini Rasengans earlier, counting the one he had originally created. _"Looks like my limit is two. It's been a few hours since I've tried it though. Maybe I have enough chakra to do it one more time today. Heh, can't embarrass myself in front of Sarada of all people!"_

"You don't have to prove anything to me," Sarada said, shifting her attention to him.

"Huh?" Boruto asked, brought out of his thoughts.

"You have nothing to prove. I don't think you're dumb," she responded sheepishly. "In fact, I... I think you're pretty smart."

The boy's breath caught in his throat for a fleeting moment. He lazily rubbed the back of his neck, a warm feeling coursing throughout his body. "Well, I still wanna show you. Just consider it me being a massive show off."

Sarada laughed at his last comment. "It wouldn't be any different than usual. Go ahead and do it then jerk." A genuine smile lifted her features after that, and for the first time that day, the female Uchiha was happy. In fact, she'd entirely forgotten all the thoughts plaguing her mind and accusations the men at the bar made the previous night. That always seemed to happen when Sarada was in Boruto's company. His presence effected her in such a way that the negative thoughts surrounding her would all disappear, even if only for a moment like this.

It worked both ways. Boruto forgot about being irritated with his father a moment after he stopped talking about it. Even when each of them were sad or troubled, the mere presence of the other distracted the two from anything else stuck on their minds. The Uzumaki turned towards his friend with a large smile. "Here goes," he said, getting into position. He repeatedly glanced at Sarada to make sure she was watching while he attempted to form a Rasengan. A massive urge to impress his teammate controlled his senses as he trained his concentration on his hands. _"Remember what you've been taught. I've already done it a couple times and I can do it again,"_ Boruto inwardly encouraged himself. His thoughts drifted back to the time when he popped the water balloon his father had given him in the process of learning the jutsu. He had easily figured it out the same day, satisfied by the fast progress in which he accomplished the first step. The rubber ball had proved to be of a higher difficulty and Boruto grew frustrated with it sometimes, but in the end he managed to complete the second step. The last step was of course the most difficult of all, leaving the young Uzumaki more than twice as frustrated as he had been with step two. Yet he did it. Uzumaki Boruto had created more than one Rasengan on the same day he completed the final step. He was pushing to add another to the tally right now.

Sarada stared with extreme puzzlement and anticipation at her best friend's contorted features. His intense concentration shocked her a bit. She'd never seen Boruto so determined to do something in his whole life. As the Uchiha wondered what the boy was attempting to do, a light breeze began to settle around the two of them and it felt like the air was being sucked in between the pair. Sarada peered downwards at Boruto's hands to see a small blue ball forming in his palm.

The Uzumaki grinned at the look of awe she gave him. "That's..." Sarada began, at a loss for words. He chuckled when she trailed off. "Yeah, I just got the hang of it today," he explained. "I'm not sure why my Rasengan is tiny like this, but it still works." He twisted his head to the side in order to view the tree he had told her to watch earlier. "This is what I really wanted to show you."

She couldn't shake off her expression of amazement. Sarada tilted her head to the side, peering at the trunk and Boruto simultaneously. Suddenly, the boy reared one arm back, the marble sized Rasengan in hand, then chucked it forward with all the strength he possessed. The female Uchiha trained her eyes on the small ball of chakra as it sailed forward. Her eyes widened and she gasped when it disappeared, cocking her head towards Boruto. To her bewilderment, the boy was still smiling. A splintering sound filled the air, causing the girl to shift her eyes back to the trunk. Another gasp escaped the kunoichi's lips as the sight of the tree came into view. There was a gaping hole in the bark, though not deep enough to break through the other side. "H-How did...?"

Boruto chuckled once more, panting. "Beats me. No idea why it vanishes but hey, I can use that to my advantage. Of course, I need to work on it more because it's not very strong right now. I'm one step closer t... to..." he trailed off and his wobbling knees finally buckled.

"Boruto!" Sarada shouted in alarm, racing towards his collapsing body. She caught him just in time, his head landing on her shoulder. The two were both on their knees, their position making it seem like they were hugging. "You overdid it," Sarada said knowingly.

Boruto lazily opened his eyes, gently pushing against her chest with one hand so he could raise his head. "Yeah, I feel low on chakra. Guess my limit is three a day."

The Uchiha breathed a sigh of relief. "Idiot, don't scare me like that!" She breathed another sigh, this time out of annoyance. "I guess I'm gonna have to, quite literally, carry you home."

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I just got dizzy for a second."

Sarada stared at him, hardly believing any of it.

"I promise that's all it was," Boruto said reassuringly. "Look." He shakily got to his feet and steadied himself, the girl watching with an expression of worry.

The tension in her shoulders finally started to decrease while she stared at him with a massive frown. "Fine. I believe you knucklehead. But if you collapse or something on the way home don't blame me!"

"I can at least make it home," Boruto said reassuringly. _"I hope,"_ he thought. The boy didn't feel THAT drained. He was confident that traveling to his house wouldn't be difficult. "Anyway, I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Sarada responded after standing up, her head turning towards the direction of her house. She would have to go home soon and the girl didn't know if she was ready to once again face the awkward situation lying in wait. Sarada concluded that she'd have to run to her room and make up an excuse like being tired in order to avoid facing her father. At the moment, the young Uchiha had no true evidence to throw at Sasuke that would force him to open up and confess, IF the men at the bar were correct.

"Hey, you have that look on your face again," Boruto commented with curiosity and concern. "Please Sarada, tell me what's wrong. You know you can trust me."

"I don't wanna talk about it," she warned.

"Sarada, I can help."

"Look, I said no so just leave it," Sarada nearly yelled. "Just don't bother me right now." Without another word from either of the two, she whirled around and began walking in the opposite direction, Boruto gazing at her retreating form. The kunoichi was too focused on the matter at hand to notice his unwavering stare. She absolutely couldn't stand another moment of this. Tomorrow was when she would begin her search for the truth and it would definitely be complicated to get something out of her stubborn father without some sort of evidence to back her up. Heck, if any of the things she overheard the couple of men say were true, maybe he would feel like he had no choice but to confess. Sarada was determined to receive some answers though, and soon. She didn't care what she had to do in order to obtain them.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I had trouble wording things in the last scene. I knew what I wanted to write but couldn't put it into words for a while. Oh well, slowly building BoruSara, hehehe. I'll probably end up changing the name of this chapter but I couldn't come up with anything better before I updated. Thanks for the support! Hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	12. Lurking Threat

**Author's Note:** I know you've probably had enough of me apologizing for not updating sooner in these last few chapters. These last few months I've been dealing with many personal issues including depression so I hope you can forgive me. Anyway, this chapter is the longest one I've written for this story so far and I enjoyed writing it and I hope you'll enjoy reading it! Thanks for the support, it helps keep me going! Enjoy!

* * *

Uchiha Sarada was inclined to throttle her father in his sleep, or heck, where he stood just a few feet away at that very moment. For the past couple of days, Sasuke had practically been latched onto his daughter's side, following her around literally everywhere she went. Sarada even caught him sleeping in a chair outside her bedroom this morning! Whenever her extreme irritation subsided for a short moment, the young Uchiha wondered what in the world happened to make him so... clingy! The worst part regarding the entire situation was that every chance she could have received if Sasuke hadn't been so watchful became completely nonexistent. No opportunities whatsoever had been allowed for the girl to even begin digging into her father's past.

The young Uchiha decided the lone positive to having her extremely overprotective father by her side at all times the past few days was that she received extra time improving combat skills. Speaking of which, the two Uchihas were currently taking a water break during a training session. Sarada fought aggressively before the pause, releasing the majority of her fury and frustration on Sasuke. Of course, she was no where near a level that could be considered a challenge to him, but the distraction sufficed for her troubles. It seemed almost as if the universe itself was determined to interfere with her mission to retrieve information.

"Round two?" Sasuke asked, returning the girl's thoughts to reality.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Sarada responded prior to tossing the water bottle to the side. "Let's go," she said, gripping the hilt of her sword and unsheathing it. The young kunoichi wasted no time in rushing towards the elder Uchiha, slashing towards his chest with no luck.

Sasuke parried and retaliated with a quick strike of his own, his eyes widening as Sarada barely blocked. He knew that his daughter was still gaining experience in this particular type of combat, but she always managed to dodge or stop the male's first handful of strikes with ease. _"Maybe our break wasn't long enough? No, Sarada is_ _still as tense as she was a few days ago. Maybe I should ask..."_ Sasuke was quick to reprimand himself for the thought. First of all, he wasn't too adept with the ability of talking to his daughter if it concerned sensitive subject matter. Second, situations usually ended up worse than they were before after attempting to speak with Sarada. _"Something is really eating at her mind. I wonder if it's the same thing it has been. I wish I knew what."_

Sasuke had his own problems to worry about though. Ever since his visit to the Hokage's office, the male Uchiha constantly stayed by his daughter's side, cautiously surveying their surroundings. He refused to risk leaving her alone even with the slightest chance of danger approaching. Sasuke knew fairly well that Sarada could handle herself under most circumstances, but the idea that bothered him was the possible danger they could be facing.

* * *

A FEW DAYS PRIOR

"What...?" Sasuke asked in utter disbelief while releasing Naruto's collar.

The current Hokage rubbed his throat and sighed. He was furious at himself for slipping up but Sasuke gave him no choice. No way would the Uchiha let him off the hook with such a vital piece of information being withheld. "I said, I think there's a tiny, small, minuscule, microscopic,-"

"Get to the point!" the Uchiha shouted with irritation.

"All right! All right! There's a slight chance that Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki are in danger," the blond responded.

"And who did you just say is a suspect?" Sasuke questioned darkly. The moment the name left Naruto's lips the first time, his mind had gone completely blank. He urged his best friend to repeat the name to make sure he heard correctly.

"Yeah, HIM," Naruto replied ominously.

That was confirmation enough. Sasuke slammed his clenched fists down onto the desktop, teeth gritted. "How is that possible?! I killed him! It became part of my mission to do so!" He would never admit it aloud, but Sasuke feared the thought of that person still being alive. If he of all people were to come after Sarada or the other two...

"Calm down!" the Uzumaki pressed. "Look, it's all just speculation at the moment. The chances that he's still alive are slim to none."

"You don't get it!" Sasuke yelled, barely resisting the temptation to throw the desk through the clear window. "If there's even a one percent chance he lives then it's still a chance! And if it is true then that means I failed... All that time..."

"Don't jump to any conclusions," Naruto ordered with a stern tone, slightly shocking Sasuke. "Look, my son might be in danger. I understand how you're feeling right now. The last thing we need to do is panic."

"I'm not panicking," he defended. "I'm just very concerned."

"And the odds are low that it's really him," Naruto continued, ignoring the last comment. The man knew he had to be careful with his choice of words. Sasuke was a ticking time bomb ready to explode if he made a single wrong move. Even though the Uzumaki was and always would be one of the most childish people in the whole village, he had learned when to and when not to poke and prod over the years. Now was a time when it was a definite no in terms of joking around.

Sasuke swallowed and closed his mismatched eyes for a few seconds, calming his nerves. "How many know all the details of the incident?"

"Only me, you, and the ANBU," the Nanadaime answered, arms crossed. "I've arranged for the ANBU to make more regularly scheduled visits to Mitsuki's apartment. I also ordered them to keep a close eye on all three of the kids. In addition to that, they were told not to allow their presence to be discovered even by you, but now that part is out of the question," he said, answering additional questions on Sasuke's mind. "Very soon I should be getting a call confirming that they've rounded up some ideal criminals. It might help us gain a lead or two."

The Uchiha remained silent as he walked to stand in front of the window, staring aimlessly into the sky.

"Sasuke, promise me you won't leave them again," Naruto commanded.

"If they're in danger-"

"Promise me," he repeated, blue eyes trained on the dark-haired man.

Sasuke spun around to face Naruto, his cloak whipping to the side and revealing clenched fists. He returned the Hokage's stony gaze with a glare of his own, right eye threatening to shift into a blood red color. "Naruto, on my mission it wasn't just my family I was protecting. Your kid might be in danger, too. Not to mention that all three of them are part of my team. It's my job to keep them safe."

"As Hokage it's my responsibility to protect this village from harm. Sasuke, you don't need to start traveling again for this. We can solve this together, right here in Konoha. You know that you don't deserve to suffer that pain anymore and neither do Sakura and Sarada," he argued.

"You're right," Sasuke finally admitted, though reluctantly and in a whisper. He thought on the subject for many minutes afterwards, Naruto waiting for the man to speak. The current plan Naruto had put into motion seemed reliable and efficient for the time being. "So what should I do in the meantime?"

A small smile crept its way onto Naruto's lips.

* * *

Sasuke faltered in step immediately ensuing a block, losing his footing for a fleeting moment. He silently cursed at himself for the careless mistake, shocked that he'd been so engaged in the memory. What exceeded the shock he held for himself was the bewilderment at Sarada failing to take advantage of the blunder. He began to wonder if the girl even noticed the slip up at all. It was then that Sasuke decided to teach his daughter a valuable lesson in the shinobi art. Less than two seconds later, her sword flew out of her hand and she was lying on her stomach, arms pinned behind her back.

Sarada blinked multiple times, attempting to comprehend what had just occurred.

"A ninja can't afford simple distractions during the heat of battle," Sasuke explained in a low monotone. "You have to focus!" he scolded with an entirely new tone. The man released her arms and Sarada remained on the ground, making no effort to get back on her feet.

"I know," Sarada replied with a frown, staring at the sword resting in the grass a few feet away. _"It's literally impossible right now though,"_ she finished in her head. "Can we stop for today please?"

Sasuke cocked his head towards the girl, his expression full of surprise. What in the world was up with her? "All right," he said slowly, suspicion evident in the man's tone. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Sarada replied almost immediately. She grabbed her sword and sat up, staring at the sunlight glinting off the blade. "Can I go for a walk?"

"Yeah, we-"

"Alone," the girl interrupted, her voice raised. "I want some peace and quiet before Boruto and Mitsuki arrive later," she lied. Her bluffs were improving slightly since she was telling so many lately, something she both cherished and despised.

"Well," Sasuke began while awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, "I don't think you'll have much time for one. They should be arriving soon." The male Uchiha hoped his spur of the moment lie would end up being correct. After all, he did tell the two boys to meet up at the training grounds a little after noon.

* * *

Boruto walked at a steady pace down the path, blue eyes glued to the screen of his portable video game system. _"If I beat the boss, I'll finish the game!"_ he thought excitedly while biting his lower lip in concentration. So far the boy had tried four times to conquer the same boss, each time getting a little closer to reaching the ultimate goal. _"Oh come on, stop sending more minions out!"_ the Uzumaki silently shouted.

What the boy failed to perceive was his male teammate following close behind, peering over his shoulder in order to receive a clearer view of the screen.

"Yes!" Boruto exclaimed aloud, hopping a little in his step.

Mitsuki placed a hand over his mouth in order to suppress a laugh. He thought his friend's unawareness of his presence was hilarious along with the amount of attention he was currently pouring into the video game.

Boruto's eyes lit up as his character collected a floating orb that flashed multiple colors. The screen began to blink and the words "MEGA POWER UP" came into view. The Uzumaki rapidly pressed buttons and explosions rocked the game's environment, killing many enemies and wounding the boss. "Get ready to lose!" he shouted at the monster. The boy dodged the strikes thrown at him and used the last remaining energy from his power up to kill the boss. Boruto stopped in the middle of the road and jumped for joy, celebrating with a victory dance.

Mitsuki couldn't control himself anymore and hunched over with both hands placed on his knees, laughing his head off. He managed to raise his head and look at the blond, only making him cackle harder.

Boruto was frozen in the middle of a dance move, eyes bulging and face as red as a tomato. He wasn't quite sure how to react to the situation with both anger and embarrassment surging through him. Instead, Boruto slowly returned to a normal standing position and asked hesitantly, "H-How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," Mitsuki responded after finally regaining his composure. He wiped tears away from his golden eyes and placed a hand on the Uzumaki's shoulder. "I needed a laugh like that."

Boruto frowned, remembering events of the past few days. "Are you all right now?"

Mitsuki's grin faltered for a moment and he removed his hand. "Yeah, I've been coping well. Thanks for asking."

"Hey, you know you can hang out with Sarada and I more. We wanted to give you some space but now we feel like we're excluding you. Sorry about that," the Uzumaki explained.

Mitsuki appeared to be shocked and it took him longer than usual to reply. "Don't be. I've been very content ever since I came to this village. You, Sarada, and Sasuke-sensei have become a family to me. Thank you for being my friend."

Boruto grinned and the pair started to walk once more. "Ah, it's nothing, but you're welcome. I just feel like we haven't been a team lately. I mean, everyone has been distant. Especially Sarada," he added quietly.

"I noticed she's been acting weird," Mitsuki said. "Do you think it has something to do with her father again?"

Boruto shrugged. "Who knows? I just don't like seeing her upset and frustrated all the time. She's always been hotheaded but this is different."

"Yeah... but you've been troubled lately as well."

Boruto swiped his hand through the air as a sign of dismissal. "Ah it's really nothing important. My old man is making me retake a bunch of tests we took at the Academy and he lied saying that I didn't graduate. I saw my real scores a few days ago and they were clearly passing ones."

Mitsuki cocked his head in the Uzumaki's direction with a skeptical look. "That isn't nothing."

"It's not serious so I'm not worried about it much. What I am concerned about is Sarada," Boruto replied bluntly.

"You should ask her out and maybe you can both clear your heads," Mitsuki suggested, earning a curious stare.

"Me, ask Sarada out? Nah, I don't think she likes me that way," Boruto spoke nervously, hoping that the sudden coloring in his cheeks wasn't too evident.

Mitsuki gave him a light punch on the arm and scowled. "You're joking right? It's obvious that both of you are head over heels for each other. Even the least observant person could perceive that."

Boruto glared at the pale boy and sighed. "I don't know Mitsuki. Now isn't a good time to ask her out anyway."

"Whatever you say," he responded, voice laced with sarcasm. Mitsuki's golden eyes searched the environment in front of him, looking for an unknown object. He couldn't really explain the sudden feeling of awareness that had invaded his senses. It just seemed as if something odd or out of the ordinary was lurking about. His eyes flickering back and forth, the male found nothing in his line of sight and attempted to dismiss the feeling. Mitsuki had no luck in trying to cast the eerie thought away, which didn't surprise him as the feeling had been a recurring one for the last few days. At times he was almost certain that this mysterious thing was watching him with an unwavering gaze.

* * *

"So did you get our next mission arranged yet?" Boruto asked with a smirk as he interrupted Sasuke, knowing how much it irritated the man. The boy crossed his arms and waited for the response while he watched a vein on the Uchiha's forehead bulge. He loved to pester his uncle as much as he enjoyed pushing his father's buttons sometimes.

Sasuke sighed and replied as calmly as he could, "Yes. We will have our next mission in a few days; however, we will not be the only squad participating in the ordeal. Any further questions?" he seethed.

Boruto placed a hand on his chin and his expression morphed into one of thought. "Hm... Nah, I'm good. Wait, I do have another actually. What are we gonna be doing today?"

The male Uchiha's visible eye began to twitch, his patience diminishing. "I was getting to that. Maybe if you'd shut your mouth for more than a second then you would already know."

Boruto chuckled quietly at the male's reaction, earning an eye roll from Sarada and a heavy sigh from Mitsuki.

Sasuke imagined beating the boy to a pulp in his mind, hoping to maintain some self control on the outside. The kid was literally a younger version of Naruto most of the time. He knew that interrupting him was merely meant for a joke, for fun, but the male Uchiha was hardly ever in that sort of mood, especially when it came to training. Sasuke was positive Boruto perceived that, which is why he'd go through all the trouble to instigate so much. Nonetheless, Sasuke brushed the young Uzumaki's "Naruto antics" aside and opened the bag he usually carried around when he went out. He wordlessly retrieved three black pieces of material and tossed them to the Genin.

"What do we do with these?" Boruto asked, holding the ends of the cloth.

"They're blindfolds," Mitsuki explained indifferently. "Which means this is another test. Except this time-"

"You won't be able to see. It's essential for a ninja to know where his or her opponent is at all times, even in the most disadvantageous situations. Say you're in a dark area or your vision has been impaired, what will be your most reliable sense?" Sasuke quizzed.

"Our ability to hear," Boruto answered, already placing the dark blindfold over his eyes. "So what's this little test then?" he inquired after tying the material.

"I'll be attacking each of you at random moments. Your job is to consistently block the attacks. To pass my test, you most block five attacks in a row, all of you," Sasuke finished.

"Seems easy enough," Boruto commented with a smug smile. "Well, for me at least. You two just keep up," he joked.

"You sound pretty confident for someone who got beaten by a bird," Mitsuki scoffed, earning a short laugh from Sarada.

"THAT WAS ONE TIME!" the Uzumaki shouted in defense, shaking his fists at the pair.

"At least we know not to purposely mess with birds' nests," the female Uchiha remarked after removing her glasses and placing the material over her onyx orbs.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Boruto mumbled under his breath.

While Sasuke waited for the Genin to prepare, an unsettling feeling coursed through his body. The Uchiha's hand twitched and he cocked his head to the side, peering cautiously into the surrounding trees. His senses calmed slightly once he recognized the peculiar presence. _"ANBU, I should've known."_ The Black Ops were positioned at a distance away from the team, but Sasuke could still pinpoint their general positions and the threatening air with which they came. _"They don't leave this sort of ominous feeling though, especially not with me,"_ Sasuke pondered. _"There's something, or someone, else..."_

"We gonna start or what old man?" Boruto complained, folding his arms. He was definitely more impatient than usual today.

Sasuke returned his attention to the three teens and noted that they appeared to be ready for action, blindfolds in place. "Any questions before we begin?"

"I have one," Mitsuki said, turning his head in the Uchiha's general direction. "Do we have to do this a certain way, like group up or spread out?"

"That's for you to decide," he responded while removing his cloak and throwing it aside. "Remember the goal though," he finished.

The trio heard a poofing noise and assumed that Sasuke had vanished, leaving behind only a puff of smoke.

"We should stay close," Mitsuki suggested, stepping towards his teammates. The shuffles in the grass told him that the others copied his motions.

"You're awfully quiet Sarada," Boruto voiced while elbowing the girl lightly.

She retaliated by stepping on his toes, causing the boy to curse in pain. "And?" she questioned sarcastically.

"What?! I just wanna know why you haven't spoken much!" he yelled.

"I thought I'd made my point clear to you a few days ago. It's. None. Of. Your. BUSINESS!" Sarada shouted back.

Mitsuki sighed heavily and hoped that the leader of their team would not choose to attack anytime soon.

* * *

Sasuke glanced at the bickering Genin once more, making sure he had time. The male Uchiha felt the ominous presence grow stronger, coming closer to him. The powerful force alarmed the man, putting him on full alert. There was a threat lurking nearby and it needed to be eliminated. His head quickly twisted around when he heard a rustle in the leaves of the tree across from the one he was currently standing on. "I know you're there. Go ahead and show yourself," Sasuke commanded calmly.

A low rumble of a laugh filled his ears and a tall figure dressed in a black cloak revealed itself. The shadows gave the figure more cover, preventing Sasuke from seeing its face.

"Uchiha Sasuke in the flesh," said the figure, a man the Uchiha assumed because of the voice's masculine tone. "You have no idea how long I've been looking forward to this day Sasuke-san."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, the tension in the air steadily rising with each passing moment. "Who are you?" the Uchiha asked quietly, curiosity and caution evident in his question.

"Sorry, but that's top secret," the cloaked figure replied, shifting his hidden gaze towards the quarreling Genin below. "I've heard so many interesting stories about you. Such a different person than anyone else... an extraordinary past... a tragic one..." A smirk settled on his lips when he realized who the three teens were. "That girl, she's yours, right?"

Sasuke tightly gripped the handle of his sword, ready to take action at any moment. He offered no response to the shady figure's question, only staring in silence as the male watched the three Genin. The Uchiha finally spoke when he decided the eerie soundless moments had dragged on for too long. "What do you want?"

The man was shaken out of his thoughts by the sudden inquiry and took a few seconds to comprehend what Sasuke said. "Oh, that. It's quite simple really."

"And?" Sasuke prodded once more, beckoning the man to continue as he checked for any signs that the ANBU had advanced towards them. To his surprise, he detected the Black Ops members in the same positions they were in when he previously felt their presences. _"Can they not sense him? Surely they can. Maybe they think I have it handled."_

"My mission," the cloaked male paused and cocked his head in the Genins' direction, "is to send a message."

"To who?"

"My master said it would be for many people, specifically you and the current Hokage," he explained. The man slowly pulled out multiple kunai with exploding tags attached to them, prompting Sasuke to unsheathe his sword and hold it out defensively in front of him.

"Are you absolutely positive you want to do this?" Sasuke warned, his right eye shifting into a red and black pattern.

The man smirked and drew back his arm, preparing to attack. "Yes," he said simply. With that, he flung the kunai, but not towards the male Uchiha.

Sasuke's heart plummeted as the kunai sailed towards Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki, who were all so focused on arguing with one another that none of them noticed the oncoming attack. The Uchiha immediately jumped off the branch and used his Rinnegan to teleport directly between the group and the kunai.

* * *

"We've wasted enough time quarreling!" Mitsuki tried once more, attempting to separate his teammates before they broke out into a fist fight.

"Mitsuki's right. I'm done arguing over pointless things," Boruto said, crossing his arms and shifting his gaze to the ground, or at least the general direction of it. The blindfold prevented him from being certain.

Sarada sighed heavily and rubbed her temples. "All right then... Hey, it's been a little while since we started the exercise. Why hasn't he attacked yet?"

Just as the words left the kunoichi's lips, a whizzing sound filled the air, alerting the three team members.

"Here he comes!" Boruto warned.

"We couldn't tell," Sarada retorted, the sarcasm in her voice made quite evident.

The Uzumaki growled in response, a vein on his forehead throbbing violently.

Mitsuki tensed as the noise came closer and closer. His breath caught in his throat for a moment at the possible realization. "Wait, that sounds more like-!"

Suddenly, a strong rush of air hit the Genin, almost making them lose their footing. A strong pair of arms wrapped around the trio, crushing them against one another. An explosion sounded and the blast knocked everyone backwards. Whoever protected the team from the attack landed on top of them, acting as a protective barrier. He grunted and pushed himself upwards to stand and peer in the enemy's direction. Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki simultaneously ripped the blindfolds off their heads, shaken by the impact. Their eyes met Sasuke's back, a purple skeleton surrounding all of them.

"What the heck happened?!" Boruto shouted in a daze, wiping dirt off his cheek.

Sasuke clenched his fists and sped off a moment later, leaving the Genin behind.

"Hey!" the Uzumaki yelled once more, hopping up and shaking a balled fist.

"Look!" Sarada pointed at what seemed to be a cloaked figure running through the trees. Sasuke was in pursuit of the strange figure and gaining on it.

"Let's go!" Boruto exclaimed, rushing towards where the male Uchiha had disappeared into the maze of trees.

"Wait! Do you really think this is a good idea?" Mitsuki called.

"Yeah! We're supposed to be shinobi! That means we protect the village from threats and I don't know about you, but that guy sure seems to be a threat to me!" Boruto responded. "Now come on!" He sped off without giving the others a chance to reply or make a decision. His teammates quickly ran after him in an effort to stop the boy from doing something foolish.

* * *

Sasuke continued to chase after the man in the cloak, going faster each time he pushed off of the tree bark with his feet. Rage was gnawing away at his mind and urging him to give the male a cruel and painful death right then and there. How dare he attack his team, his daughter! The Uchiha took a deep breath to calm his nerves as he pursued. He'd definitely harm the shady figure for what he had done, but not kill him. The village had plenty of room for another prisoner, right after his stay at the hospital.

"You can't run forever!" the cloaked man shouted over his shoulder, returning Sasuke's thoughts to reality.

The male Uchiha wrinkled his brow in confusion. Was the man talking about continuing to chase him? It seemed odd if he was. The man's demeanor earlier suggested that he knew quite a bit about the Uchiha. If that was so, then why in the world would he underestimate one of his greatest attributes, endurance? _"He's not talking about that at all,"_ Sasuke concluded. He retrieved two kunai from his bag and threw them at his opponent, barely missing with each. "You're the one who's running! If you want a fight I'm here!"

Suddenly, the cloaked male stopped and dropped to the ground.

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise and he twisted in midair to singlehandedly grab a wide branch to slow himself down. A moment later he too dropped to the ground. "Now, before I rearrange your entire body, any last words?"

A chuckle resonated throughout the area. An ominous silence filled the air afterwards. Even the wind had stopped making the leaves rustle.

"What I mean is... you can't protect her forever," the cloaked figure explained. Without giving Sasuke a chance to reply or think, he rushed forward with great speed.

Sasuke shifted his body into a defensive position, catching the man's fist easily. He then dodged his other balled fist and counterattacked by tugging the male past him, spinning around and kicking at the back of his head. Sasuke continued his assault, sending a barrage of punches and kicks towards his cloaked opponent. The male chuckled when he caught Sasuke's left wrist. He reached into the depths of his cloak and retrieved a small item, throwing it down before Sasuke could stop him.

A loud high-pitched noise deafened the Uchiha while a very bright flash of light blinded him. He staggered backwards, the man still with a tight grip on his wrist. His ears began to ring and when he opened his mismatched eyes everything was doubled and blurry. Sasuke vaguely heard the sound of the man's voice but couldn't pick out any words. Through his hazy vision, Sasuke caught the images of a tattoo or marking crossing his attacker's eye glowing a fiery red, illuminating the dark shadows cast on the man's face by the cloak.

Suddenly, Sasuke howled in pain and collapsed to his knees, trying to rip his arm away from the figure's grasp. He thought his artificial arm was going to explode. The searing pain began in his fingers and trailed all the way up to his shoulder, making him feel as if his limb had been set on fire. Finally, his wrist was released and he pressed his forehead into the dirt, trying to recover quickly. A foot roughly jammed into his spine and he was forced to the ground, peering upwards at the blurry cloaked male.

"I'm disappointed," he said quietly, not caring if Sasuke could understand him or not. He truly was expecting something more... worthwhile. "My message has been sent. It's time for me to return to my master. Until we meet again, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke cursed under his breath as the man walked away, attempting to push himself up with his one uninjured arm. _"No... I can't let him escape..."_

In an instant, the man paused in midstep and gasped. Explosions rocked the spot he stood on and masked ninjas rained down from the trees, weapons blazing. Sasuke fell to the ground once more, lying still and watching the ANBU at work. As time passed, so did the ringing in his ears and the horrendously blurry vision. Apparently the ANBU had yet to subdue the cloaked man and the fight became more distant. Sasuke heard feet hit the ground close by and slowly rolled on his side, clutching his injured shoulder.

"Uchiha-sama!" a stocky male ANBU member called out while running towards the fallen ninja, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, is my team all right?" he grunted painfully. "Where are they?"

The young man crouched down and adjusted his bear mask. "This injury appears to be serious," he said to himself.

Sasuke used his good arm to tightly grab the medic's shoulder and tug him closer. "I said, where are the kids?!" he growled through gritted teeth. A sharp pain tore through his left arm once more, causing him to suppress a shout and let go of the ANBU member's shoulder in order to clutch his own.

* * *

Sarada's heart thundered faster and louder with each step she took. Worry continued to cloud her mind as she tried to push the memory of the horrific shouts to the back of her head. The explosions and battle cries had moved further away, meaning that the fight also had.

"I see someone!" Boruto called over his shoulder. "C'mon!"

Sarada's breath caught in her throat as she looked forward. As the team drew closer, it became clear that the person was injured and another person was crouching next to the body. The young Uchiha stopped dead in her tracks when she gained a better view of the downed figure. "Tou-chan..." Sarada knew that she was supposed to be irritated with her father, but seeing him squirming and shouting in pain made her heart drop.

"Oji-san!"

"Sensei!"

Sarada finally snapped out of the daze and forced herself to walk towards Sasuke's crumpled form.

"What happened to him?" Boruto asked the ANBU member.

"I'm not exactly sure. I didn't see the entire thing," the man in the bear mask explained while studying the Uchiha's left arm. "He's about to lose consciousness. This wound is above my level of expertise. We need to get him to a higher caliber medic."

"Kaa-chan," Sarada whispered.

"What was that?" the stocky male inquired.

"Uh, Uchiha Sakura," Sarada said hurriedly. "She's at the hospital right now."

"Of course," the ANBU muttered under his breath. "The best medic in all of the shinobi world." He stood up and hoisted Sasuke's limp figure onto his back. "If we can get there in time he should be all right. Lead the way."

Sarada nodded and took off with her teammates along with the ANBU member carrying her wounded father.

Mitsuki stared straight ahead as they traveled through the forest, his brow furrowed in thought. _"Hard to believe an ANBU medic can't handle Sasuke-sensei's injuries. What kind of person can do something like that? Whoever it was beat Uchiha Sasuke, THE Uchiha Sasuke. The real question is, how powerful does someone have to be to beat one of the most powerful ninjas in the world, if not the most?"_

* * *

"He should be okay now," Sakura said with a relieved sigh. "The attack occurred inside his body."

"Inside?" Naruto questioned. "How? There was no visible external damage on Sasuke's arm for anything to get under his skin, literally."

"I think the only way we can get a real answer is from Sasuke-kun himself, when he wakes up," she explained, peering at her husband where he lay in the hospital bed.

"I guess you're right," Naruto responded. He sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking about the ANBU members' oral accounts of what they had witnessed. The Hokage opened his mouth to continue their discussion of the incident, but hesitated when he caught sight of Sakura's expression. His former teammate was still agitated and visibly shaken. That's when he remembered that their children were taken to a different room where they were being checked and healed of any injuries obtained during the attack. "They should be done by now," Naruto commented. "We should go and make sure they're fine."

Sakura quickly nodded and followed Naruto as they exited the room, glancing at her husband once before shutting the large door behind her. As the two walked in the direction where the children had been taken, Sakura pondered about the attack. _"No one knows exactly what occurred during the attack. Naruto received bits and pieces from the ANBU. The children are bound to know some information since they were attacked also. But... the only person who knows everything is Sasuke-kun..."_ Sakura started to wonder about the circumstances of her husband's injury and how he'd received it, but her thoughts were cut short as they caught sight of the children with Hinata and Himawari sitting in a small waiting room.

"I'm fine Kaa-chan," Boruto reassured his mother. "Sasuke-oji protected us from the blast. We only have a few scrapes and bruises. That's all."

Hinata immediately embraced her son in a tight hug, running her hand through his hair as she did so. "I was so worried when I heard. I'm glad you're okay, all of you."

"Me too!" Himawari exclaimed.

"So am I," Sakura said, rushing forward and wrapping her arms around an unsuspecting Sarada.

"T-Too tight Kaa-chan!" the girl struggled to squeak out.

Mitsuki grew very jealous as he watched the mothers hug their children. He'd give anything for that to be him, even if it was only for a second. It just wasn't fair, not in the least bit. Why did his mother have to be stolen from his life? Why did it have to happen to him? The incident relentlessly plagued his mind, never allowing him to forget the horrific scene. He'd constantly have nightmares, his head filled with the images of blood and her dying form, the sounds of screaming and sobbing. Mitsuki unconsciously clenched his fists and bit down on his lower lip. He desired nothing more than to see the people responsible for the murder suffer.

"Mitsuki?"

"Eh? Oh, sorry Hokage-sama," the light-haired boy apologized. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts that the Nanadaime's calls went unheard.

"It's fine. I know you must be rattled by what's happened. Anyway, I was asking if you could give me an account of the attack," Naruto explained. The blond had quickly noticed the increasing rage in Mitsuki's expression. It reminded him of Sasuke way back when they were Genin. The Hokage perceived that the boy was reminded of his mother, considering the displays of affection next to him. Only he, Mitsuki, and certain ANBU members possessed all the information known about the murder of the boy's mother. _"It's been about a year since he first arrived in the village. That means a year has passed since the murder. We never could find the culprit. The crime was expertly planned. Not to mention everything was covered up once the investigators I sent arrived on the scene. They even questioned if the incident actually happened. To think that someone wanted to conceal a murder so much. I mean, I know that no one wants to be caught, but why target Mitsuki's mother? And how can the culprit or culprits make it seem as if it didn't occur at all?"_

"Naruto, is it all right if Sarada and I leave? I need to speak with her," Sakura said, bringing the Hokage out of his thoughts.

"Ah, yeah. I assume that all three of them witnessed the same thing so I can get what I need from Mitsuki and Boruto," the Uzumaki replied.

* * *

"Sweetheart are you sure you're okay?" Sakura prodded, checking once more for any visible injuries on her daughter's body.

"Kaa-chan, I promise I'm okay," Sarada responded, gently shoving Sakura's hands away. "How is Tou-chan?" she questioned in order to change the subject.

"Oh, he's resting in his room. He should be fine in no time."

"So, the person that attacked us, was he captured?"

"Uh... No, they didn't catch him. He escaped," Sakura explained while nervously twirling her fingers around. "So far his motive remains unknown. But, maybe when Sasuke-kun wakes up he can give us information."

"Yeah... Um, is it okay if I go ahead and head home? It's been a long day, especially with everything that's happened."

Sakura immediately tensed up at the inquiry. "I don't know if it's a good idea for you to go by yourself. I need to stay here for a little while and make sure that your father's condition is stable. Our staff is a little short handed today."

"Okay, I guess I'll wait," Sarada concluded. She could sense just how worried and anxious her mother was by looking at her for only a second. Was the situation really that serious? "Can I come with you to Tou-chan's room?"

"Of course," the pink-haired woman replied. As the pair walked towards the correct hallway, Sakura chuckled quietly. "At least he won't be outside your bedroom door tonight."

Sarada raised an eyebrow. "You knew about that? It's really annoying..."

"Yeah, I was planning on speaking with him about it when you came back from your training session. He just worries so much," Sakura explained while staring at the ground and frowning.

"I wish he'd stop. Like I said, it's extremely irritating," Sarada responded, crossing her arms.

"Sarada... after everything your father has been through he's bound to worry about what happens to you," her mother commented. _"Being the first Uchiha born after the massacre, she has a gigantic target on her back. Sasuke-kun will do anything to get rid of potential threats for Sarada, as will I. If anyone attempts to harm you Sarada, they'll have to go through us first."_

* * *

"Oh, you've returned."

The man in the dark hooded cloak entered and bowed to his master. "Ah, I acquired what you asked for. I also delivered the message."

An ominous chuckle resonated throughout the dark room. The torches lining the wall only sufficed to dimly light the area, shadows hiding the other male's face. He leaned against his palm with his elbow resting on top of the arm of the chair. His only visible feature was a terrifying smile that sent a shiver down his subordinate's spine. "The reports?"

He reached into his cloak and grabbed the three folders, quickly holding them out for his master to take.

The man retrieved the folders and opened the one on top of the stack, flipping through and studying the contents. "This mission took you longer than I would've expected, Ichiro-kun."

Ichiro bowed to his master once more. "I apologize. There were difficulties and interferences that prevented me from taking action sooner." He gasped and arose fast with his hood falling down in the process, an excited expression appearing on his features. "I fought him! Sasuke-san! Although, he wasn't much of a challenge. I expected something better, but..." Ichiro's face fell, disappointment evident in his features.

"In what way did you defeat Sasuke- _kun_?" the man drawled.

"Huh? Oh," Ichiro whispered, his fingers tracing the marking over his right eye.

"Ah, I see. Not to worry Ichiro-kun. Remember that I entrusted that power specifically to you. It's definitely the first time Sasuke-kun has seen and experienced the variation of it. The next time you meet him in battle, it will be more challenging and fun for you," the male reassured.

"Y-Yeah, you're right," Ichiro said with confidence.

The other male finished scanning the first folder and found the page with the photo printed at the top. "Ah, Uzumaki Boruto. The descendant of the current Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, and the Hyuga heiress, Hyuga Hinata. Hm, it seems his grades are average, except... they've been replaced by retakes that are nearly perfect grades."

"From the information I and the others you sent along gathered, I perceive that the boy is a prodigy, but struggles with low motivation. If he has a reason to fight or work for something, his talents truly shine."

"Interesting..." the man rasped. He closed the first folder and moved to the second. The smile resting on his lips grew wider the moment he caught sight of the person's picture. "Uchiha Sarada, the first born Uchiha since the massacre, daughter of the former last survivor of the clan, Uchiha Sasuke, and the strongest kunoichi in the shinobi world, Haruno Sakura. Efficient in every area, can also be considered a prodigy." He chuckled to himself and muttered, "As expected of your child, Sasuke- _kun_..."

"Boruto and Sarada have a close relationship," Ichiro added.

"That's also not surprising." He gripped the last folder in the pile, his excitement increasing even more. "And last but not least, Mitsuki." His hidden eyes widened slightly at the boy's appearance. "You've grown quite a bit since I last saw you all those years ago. The boy doesn't remember me in the slightest, I made certain of it. Hm, excellent grades."

"He's close to Boruto and Sarada. And, if it's all right, can I ask why did you want their school reports?" Ichiro questioned with caution, genuinely curious.

"I guess it is time to let you in on my plan Ichiro-kun. Concerning their Academy reports, I wanted to obtain a general idea of their skills. Anyway, my plan begins with Sasuke-kun's daughter. He's been very naughty, keeping the secrets of his past hidden from his own daughter. You see, if she finds out what a monster her dear father once was, she'll be devastated. From the reports I've been receiving from you and the others, I've concluded that the child is already suspicious of her father's past. Long ago, I myself was able to keep an eye on the children and I perceived that little Sarada was completely oblivious about Sasuke-kun's past. As time went on I knew that it would become more and more difficult to conceal the truth. Now, it's time she knew. I had you attack her father for a reason, Ichiro-kun."

Ichiro's jaw fell open. "So, you intend on ...?"

"Yes, I intend on telling the child about Sasuke-kun myself. Tomorrow, in fact. I'll figure out a way to infiltrate the village even with the increased security. After all, I did call it home once upon a time," he chuckled. "I may not have to do anything at all. It's likely she'll use this chance while her father isn't around to do some research herself, however reluctant she may be at first."

"But, what's the point of it? What can you accomplish by making the truth known?"

His raspy laugh resonated throughout the room this time. "Ichiro-kun, you should be smarter than this. What I hope to achieve by all this is very simple. My hope is that Uchiha Sarada will awaken her Sharingan. No female Uchiha has ever awoken the Sharingan before. I have reason to believe that a female who possesses the Sharingan will have different abilities than that of the male. I also have another hypothesis. Since Sarada is the product of an Uchiha and a kunoichi such as Haruno Sakura, the abilities gained with the Sharingan might be even more powerful than I initially thought. The latter is less likely but I still believe it is possible."

Ichiro's eyes sparkled as he listened intently to the theories. "Wow! That's amazing! Forgive me for questioning you," he apologized with yet another bow.

"It's quite all right. No need to apologize anymore. After all, you are my most trusted subordinate," he grinned. "Now, the Hokage's son is, I guess you could say, the 'oddball' in my plan. He will be the last of the three that I approach or formally meet. What Boruto doesn't know is that Sarada's parents aren't the only ones keeping secrets," he explained with a devilish smirk. "Something peculiar occurred during the boy's birth that left him with great power that no one but I know he possesses."

"Not even Boruto himself?"

"No, not even the child himself. He has the same issue that Sarada has. Boruto has yet to awaken this power. If he does awaken and unleash it, however, the outcome could be catastrophic." The man paused and entwined his hands, placing them in front of his mouth. "Lastly, the center of my plan revolves around Mitsuki."

"Mitsuki?"

"Yes. If I cannot come in contact with him, then the plan will be ruined. No, the plan might as well be nonexistent if Mitsuki is not involved. I've thought about how the events should play out and I'm positive that it will work perfectly though," the man covered in shadows finished. "I've been waiting until just the right time to execute my plan and now it's finally here!" he exclaimed.

Ichiro stared aimlessly at the floor once his master was done speaking. His mind had wandered elsewhere, excitement and anxiousness building throughout his entire body. "Sasuke-san... I can't wait until we meet in battle once more... I want to see your true abilities... I want to fight you when you're at your best!"

"Patience, Ichiro-kun," the figure said, abruptly standing up. "We will both achieve our goals soon. In the meantime, I will prepare for my visit with another Uchiha tomorrow."

* * *

Sarada yawned and rolled over in bed for the millionth time that night. It'd been proven impossible to sleep, the worry over her father's condition and the lurking threat consuming her thoughts. The young Uchiha's thoughts were also focused on Boruto and Mitsuki, hoping they were safe. The most distracting idea on the girl's mind was very tempting. Now was the perfect opportunity to do some snooping around and there might not be a better chance than right at that very moment. Another second she waited was another opportunity lost to take advantage of the current situation.

Sarada sat up and crawled to the edge of the bed, grabbing her glasses from the nightstand and putting them on. Before she knew what she was doing, Sarada had exited her bedroom and continued walking towards the study. _"I can't waste this chance. I have to know the truth about you Tou-chan. What are you hiding?"_ the kunoichi thought while quietly opening the door and carefully closing it behind her. The last thing Sarada wanted was for her mother to wake up and catch her in the act.

Reaching under the counter, Sarada pulled Sasuke's large chest out and examined the lock. Her onyx eyes drifted to a small box on the smooth countertop that contained the key hidden under other miscellaneous objects. She found it months ago while helping her mother clean around the house. Sarada wasted no time in opening the box and digging through its contents until she acquired the silver item. Rearranging the box so that it was in its original position, the young Uchiha crouched in front of the chest and inserted the key into the lock, not hesitating in the slightest to throw open the top. It was at the moment she laid eyes on the books Sasuke wrote in numerous times that the whole situation came crashing down on her shoulders and her body froze. _"What am I doing...? No, I can't keep doubting my actions."_ Sarada reached into the chest with a massive frown set on her lips. _"I'm sorry Tou-chan, but if you won't tell me, then I'm going to find out for myself."_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I hope you enjoyed! Sorry for any grammar mistakes in the chapter. I feel a little rusty so I probably repeated words more than necessary. Whenever I wanted to try and write at all these past few months I could only write a few sentences at a time. This kept happening until some of my personal issues had been resolved and my depression had eased up. Thanks again so much for the support, especially during my difficult times! Please review!


	13. Red

**Author's Note:** I really didn't want to give you guys a garbage chapter after waiting so long. I'm truly sorry if you feel this is a bad chapter after waiting a long time. I've really been out of it for a while and really wanted to write but life happens. Thanks for your patience and support during this time. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 _"Another mission report? Is that seriously all that's in here?!"_ Sarada wondered silently, flipping through the pages of another book. As her frustration continued to increase, the young Uchiha abruptly placed the book face down to save her place, rubbing throbbing temples. Sarada closed her obsidian orbs and slowly took a deep breath in order to calm her nerves. _"No way only mission reports are in here... Unless that's what Tou-chan intended to hide..."_ Sarada pondered heavily on the subject for a few minutes. She had been skimming over the written logs throughout the books and noticed that most contained few words, often saying "No leads" in the given space.

"Leads for what?" Sarada muttered under her breath. She grasped the spine and turned it over to once again study the pages. Occasionally she came across a page with a paragraph or so written under certain dates. Some included phrases like "Possible lead" and then a few dates later "False lead". The young kunoichi noted that the logs in the first few books dated back to or almost sixteen years ago. _"This must concern the solo mission he participated in after the war, a little before I was born,"_ she realized. Another thought crossed her mind at the recognition. _"I also remember Kaa-chan mentioning another mission he went on prior to the one after the war. I think she said he was only thirteen at the time, too..."_ The girl furrowed her brow, wondering what kind of important mission could be entrusted to a thirteen-year-old. Just how powerful was her father? _"I wonder if he kept records of that mission also."_

Without hesitation or apprehension, Sarada pressed onward in her quest of obtaining information on Sasuke. During the hours of flipping through page after page, the young Uchiha became too exhausted to continue reading and gathered the content she had been over, placing them to one side of the open chest while the material she had yet to scan rested on the other. As the girl moved everything back into place to give the impression that no one had snooped around, she attempted to focus on possibly significant words she came across while scanning the daily logs. The task proved to be difficult, as she thought she was seeing double of everything and her brain refused to cooperate out of sheer tiredness. Sarada ended up marching back to her bedroom after she finished placing the items into their original spots. She plopped down on the bed, utterly exhausted, and fell asleep while pondering about the words.

 _"Dimension... Ootsutsuki... What was the last one?"_ she wondered, on the verge of falling into a deep slumber. _"Oh yeah... It looked like a name..._ _Orochimaru... or something along those lines..."_

* * *

"Sarada, wake up!" Sakura urged for the fifth time, gently shaking her daughter's form.

The young Uchiha was finally roused awake by Sakura's prodding. Sarada wrinkled her nose and tiredly rubbed an eye while reaching for her red glasses. "What is it Kaa-chan?"

The pink-haired woman quirked an eyebrow, placing both hands on her hips in suspicion. "It's morning. I have to get to work."

"Why'd you wake me up then?" the groggy female questioned.

"Well, with everything that's happened recently I'm reluctant to leave you here by yourself. I don't want to risk anything peculiar occurring," the elder woman explained. "You're usually all bright and happy whenever you wake up this early. Did you get enough rest last night?"

"Actually no," Sarada admitted without hesitation. "I couldn't sleep because I was worried about Tou-chan," she added. It wasn't a complete lie at least. Her concern for her father's health was existent, but it wasn't the main reason for her inability, or more like refusal, to go to sleep around her regular time the previous night. "Do I have to go to the hospital with you?"

"I assumed you wanted to check in on your father," Sakura responded, her tone making it quite evident that she was still apprehensive.

"You said yourself he would recover just fine," Sarada countered in a casual tone. "Besides, I'm sure it's necessary for him to get some rest so I wouldn't want to bother him. Can I call Boruto and ask if I can stay over there while you're at work?"

Sakura rubbed the side of her neck in thought, troubled by the sudden inquiry. "If it's all right with them then I guess it'll be okay. Hinata will be there for sure and Naruto is more than likely to have a few clones stationed around," she added more to console her own worries than anything else. "But you need to do it soon or I'll be late."

"I'll go call right now," Sarada replied, mentally breathing a sigh of relief. She definitely wasn't planning on sitting idle at her teammate's dwelling when there was a perfect opportunity to place pieces of the puzzle where they belonged, to solve the mystery that was Uchiha Sasuke. She most likely wouldn't have a more convenient time than while her father was in the hospital and injured.

* * *

Boruto lazily tapped the pencil against his cheek, a bored expression resting on his previously indifferent features. He checked the last answer for the second time, making sure he was absolutely positive he'd chosen the correct one. Irritation sparked by Naruto's bluff about his true Academy grades remained etched into a corner of Boruto's mind, yet he continued in his attempts to ignore the thought. After pondering on the subject for another minute, the young Uzumaki hopped out of the seat and stretched, relieving tension in his stiff body. "Guess I better go ahead and hand this test to my old man," he said after a yawn. Just as he was about to retrieve the test paper, the phone sitting on the kitchen counter started to ring. "I'll get it!" Boruto called when he heard either his mother or sister approaching.

"Thank you!" Hinata responded, stopping her advance. Judging by the panting sound she made while responding, the former Hyuga had been rushing towards the kitchen. Either that or she'd been doing a laborious task prior to hearing the phone. Boruto assumed his mother was probably located in an area of the house where the ringing failed to reach her ears easily.

He picked up the phone and placed it comfortably against his ear prior to leaning back against the wall. "Hello?"

"It's me Boruto," came the blunt and expectant reply.

"Sarada?" Boruto breathed in moderate shock. "Why are you calling us?"

An audible sigh was picked up and heard on the Uzumaki's end. "If you'd let me speak then maybe you would know why."

"Tch, you sound friendly as always," he teased, a small smirk coming to play on his lips.

"I'm sorry I've been acting like a big jerk towards you recently but I'm not in the mood to dodge around the main point right now," she explained quickly.

Boruto's smirk fell and was replaced by a slightly hurt frown. He hadn't meant to sound chastising, but more playful. He hoped his remark hadn't come off as resentful. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Anyway, what is it you called for?" he asked instead of expressing the sliver of anxiety he felt over how she'd taken his joking comment.

"My mother was planning on making me hang out at the hospital the entire day," she explained quickly.

"Okayyy...?"

"And that's exactly what I can't do right now," the Uchiha continued.

"Can't? Why can't you?" he asked, suspicion evident in his tone.

Sarada attempted to piece together the correct words so as not to alert the boy of her snooping intentions. For a moment, the Uchiha considered revealing her plans and findings to her friend, thinking it might be beneficial to have him alongside during her efforts to discover the truth. After all, one of Boruto's prominent skills was his ability to be mischievous and he would be a huge assistance to her in this case. Sarada ultimately threw the idea out. This was her father, not his. Although, Sarada did quite enjoy having Boruto's company...

"Hey, you still there?" the Uzumaki questioned from the other end of the line, shaking his friend out of her contemplating thoughts.

Sarada adjusted her glasses, embarrassed by the last speculative thought entering her mind. "That thing that's been bothering me lately, I think I've finally found the solution."

"Oh, that's good. So where's my part in this?"

"I asked my mother if I could stay over at your house and she said it was fine if your parents were okay with it, but-"

"Perfect, I'll just kill two birds with one stone!" Boruto interrupted, grabbing his completed test paper and lowering the phone as he sped off towards the door to Naruto's home office.

"No! Boruto, wait!" Sarada called desperately. She heard the muffled sound of the Uzumaki's feet tapping against each stair step and gave an annoyed sigh. "Boruto, put the phone up to your ear!" the girl tried once more. The shouts still failed to reach him, either that or he was ignoring her at the moment.

Boruto hopped up the last step and rushed forward until he got to the door separating himself from his father. The boy grabbed the knob with the hand he clutched the test paper in and jerked it open. He could vaguely hear Sarada saying something on the other end of the line, but he chose to postpone their conversation until after transferring the test and completing the female Uchiha's request.

Boruto was on the verge of calling his father's name, stopping when he caught sight of the elder Uzumaki. Naruto sat at his small desk beside the window, appearing to be immensely agitated and on edge. "Tou-chan, I fini-"

"Not now Boruto," Naruto interrupted with a stern command. His narrowed blue eyes scanned the documents scattered across the sleek desktop, trying to piece together or connect any of the evidence obtained during the case. The tension in his already stiff shoulders steadily increased the longer he remained stationed there studying the multiple pieces of evidence, his foot beginning to unconsciously tap against the floor because of growing anxiety. _"It can't be him... No, it just can't be..."_

"I just wanted t-"

"I said not now!"

The younger Uzumaki was taken aback by Naruto's sudden outburst. He blinked repeatedly out of surprise and held out the hand clutching the test paper. "But-!"

"BORUTO!" Naruto twisted around in his chair to look at the boy, clenched fists twitching with a sudden fury. His heart dropped the moment he laid eyes on the startled teen, the hurt expression resting on his features sending waves of guilt surging through his body. Before Naruto could speak, Boruto pivoted on his heel and ran through the open doorway, the sound of him descending the stairs filling the Hokage's ears. The Nanadaime's hand unconsciously reached out towards the spot where his son had disappeared, silently willing him to return so he could issue an apology. Naruto retracted his appendage once he noticed its position and slowly turned in his chair to peer at the cluttered desk again with a regretful look. The urge to follow his son and apologize remained a growing temptation, but Naruto stayed seated. He still had a ton of work to do, most of it concerning the mysterious person that attacked Sasuke and whoever his boss was. If he could decipher all the missing pieces, then the threat would be neutralized and the village would be safe. Boruto would be safe. Naruto immediately dug back into his research with the intent to find out whether his suspicions were true. And he was desperately hoping they were false...

He silently wished that his clone on its way to the hospital could manage to confirm that the culprit in all this was not who he had in mind.

Meanwhile, Boruto made it back to the kitchen table, practically fuming. He gritted his teeth and his grip on the test paper grew much tighter. He vaguely heard it crinkle as his attention was captured by something else.

"Boruto?" came a faint call from the boy's other hand.

The Uzumaki's blue orbs widened a smidgen at the voice. During the confrontation with Naruto he forgot about his phone call with Sarada. Boruto took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his shaken nerves and put the phone up to his ear. "Just tell your mom he said yes."

"Y-You didn't ask him?" Sarada questioned hesitantly. She had heard the boy talking to his father but didn't catch everything that was said. One thing she did get an earful of was the Nanadaime's outburst. He sounded stressed and frustrated, which she perceived led to his sudden conniption. The female Uchiha silently reminded herself to be careful with word choice.

"No," Boruto answered shortly, trying not to transfer his fury directed at Naruto towards Sarada. "Just tell Sakura-oba that my parents said it's fine if you stay over," he repeated.

Sarada breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good you didn't really ask. You didn't let me finish before you took off," she explained in a lighthearted manner. "My mother told me to call and ask if I could stay at your house for the day, but that's not what I intend to do."

"So what are you planning on doing?" Boruto asked with suspicion and curiosity filling his tone. His anger momentarily diminished because of the distraction.

"I was going to ask if we could make our conversation seem like you asked your parents, but in reality we'd just be pretending," she continued. "Anyway, I think I might have found the answer to that thing that's been on my mind lately," the Uchiha reminded.

"Oh, that's good."

"Yeah, but I need to be here alone to find out. I can't have my parents hanging over my shoulder if I'm gonna figure it out."

"Are you sure you'll be okay? You know, alone?" Boruto asked with a hint of worry. He didn't like the idea of Sarada being in solitude with the creep who attacked her father lurking about somewhere in the village. And he was more than positive her parents wouldn't be fond of the thought either.

"I can handle myself. Nothing will happen, I promise," she responded to reassure the boy.

Boruto remained silent for a moment, contemplating the risky idea. The female Uchiha was fully capable of handling herself, but yesterday's newfound enemy had hospitalized her father. That thought frightened Boruto the most. The mysterious attacker might return at any time, and the person somehow managed to slip past the ANBU, only adding to the Uzumaki's increasing fears. "Yeah, fine," he said before he could stop himself.

"Thanks. You're the best," Sarada answered quickly. She removed the phone from her ear the next second without giving the boy a chance to say anything more.

Boruto froze in his seat, stunned that anything had left his lips at all a second ago. "Wait!" he hollered in vain. Sarada had already hung up. The blond slapped a hand to his forehead and silently cursed himself for not thinking rationally. What if that creep returned and tried to harm her?! Boruto failed to restrain himself from frantically jumping out of his seat and rushing around the house in search of his mother, the recent incident with Naruto forgotten. All he could think about was the mysterious figure and what he had done to Sasuke. Who knew what the person could do to a Genin rank ninja?

"Kaa-chan! Kaa-chan!"

"In here!" came the reply.

Boruto immediately switched directions and hurtled towards the direction of Hinata's voice. He burst through the laundry room doorway, surprising his mother. Hinata gave a startled jump as the boy came to a skidding halt next to her, almost dropping the shirt she was folding. "Oh, you scared me. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Can I go somewhere?!" he asked urgently.

Hinata furrowed her brow in confusion and set the newly folded shirt down on top of a pile of other articles of folded clothing. "Where d-?"

"I'll be in the middle of the village with tons of people around!" Boruto interrupted with a quick and on-the-spot lie. He'd never forgive himself if he were to let something happen to Sarada. And this time it really would be all his fault since the only ones who knew she was alone currently were Sarada herself and the young Uzumaki.

Hinata's lips separated as if she were about to say something, but nothing left her mouth for a moment. After contemplating the shady idea, the woman came to a final decision. "Well, if that's the case, then I suppose it'll be okay..."

"Awesome! Thanks!" Boruto was out of the room in an instant, grabbing his jacket and throwing it on while he bolted towards the front door.

"But make sure someone can see you at all times! And don't go near the outside of the village! And-!"

"Don't worry Kaa-chan! I'll be fine! Promise!" With that, the young Uzumaki was out the door and heading into the heart of the village. Boruto thought about what Sarada might be doing. Why exactly did she just have to be alone in order to solve her big problem? The blond cast the thought aside for the time being and changed his course, another idea coming to mind. _"I'll go to Mitsuki's place and get him to come along. If we run into any trouble then there will be two of us instead of just me. Or three, counting Sarada,"_ he finished, worry beginning to control his conscience once more. Boruto picked up his pace and continued to journey towards Mitsuki's apartment.

* * *

Sarada walked slowly through the maze of tree trunks, her eyes glued to the worn pages of the notebook. She suspected it had been read over many times, probably by Sasuke. So far she hadn't found anything more significant in this notebook than any of the others she had scanned so far. It was all the same as the others. "No leads" or "False leads" written throughout the given space repeatedly. Sarada had finished flipping through and searching four books on her walk so far.

When Sakura journeyed towards the hospital, Sarada went also so as to make the elder kunoichi falsely presume she was headed towards Boruto's dwelling the moment they split up; however, the moment the pink-haired woman faded out of sight, the younger Uchiha turned and set out a course for the large forest-like area on the opposite side of the village. Before the pair of Uchihas departed earlier, she'd already filled a big backpack with a good amount of her father's notebooks she had yet to analyze.

Sarada sighed as she closed the notebook, finding nothing important on the last few pages. The girl adjusted her red spectacles and halted next to a vast tree, removing the backpack from her shoulders and setting it on top of a massive, winding root. She grabbed the zipper and started to pull it open in order to replace the worn book with another unread notebook. At this point, the young Uchiha was beginning to lose hope that she would ever discover anything important from Sasuke's books.

Then she remembered some of her findings from the previous night. Only a handful of possibly significant words she had seen very few times were written on the hundreds of pages, but they certainly stuck out more than any other words or phrases. Sarada racked her brains in an attempt to remember what the words were. She was so tired while reading last night that she hadn't been able to completely digest everything she read.

Sarada stopped rummaging for another unread notebook of Sasuke's and thought long and hard. What in the world did the words mean? _"Why did he write down the word 'dimension'? Why was that important to his mission?"_ she pondered. The young Uchiha didn't want to rely directly on her first conclusion, considering she wasn't completely sure that her presumption was correct. Her father's purple eye, the Rinnegan, held extraordinary yet mysterious powers. She wasn't entirely positive, but Sarada thought she might have heard Sasuke mention something about traveling to another dimension with the Rinnegan once when she was little. The girl was reluctant to consider it truth though, as it was a long time ago and she didn't know what some of those words meant back then.

Suddenly, the female Uchiha reached into her weapon's pouch with lightning speed, drawing a kunai and twisting her body around in order to fling it with force at the place of the disturbance.

Clang!

The cloaked intruder deflected the ninja tool with ease. The shady figure remained in its place after the failed attack.

"So, are you the man that attacked my father?" Sarada questioned, getting into a defensive position while she was still crouched on the ground. She had prepared to face an attacker whilst alone in the forest. The girl quickly retrieved another kunai from her pouch and held it out protectively in front of her face as a precaution. When the hidden figure answered, the young kunoichi's body stiffened. She couldn't find the words to describe what she assumed was a man's voice. There was just something about it that made the cloaked person seem a hundred times deadlier, like he was about to strike at any moment with the intent to kill, not that Sarada had already ruled that possibility out.

An amused laugh escaped from the person's mouth, causing Sarada to grip the weapon she held tighter. "There's no need to be so defensive child. I have no intent of harming you, only to enlighten you."

Sarada quirked an eyebrow at the figure's words; nonetheless, she still maintained an iron grip on the kunai and didn't let her mind focus too much on his speech. "Enlighten me?" she replied emotionlessly.

He gave another entertained chuckle, this one more drawn out than the first. "Tell me, what has reading those old journals done to assist you?"

A cold chill rushed down the Uchiha's spine. If there was one thing she despised, it was this cloaked man's strange voice. To her, his voice was like nails scraping a chalkboard. "Why do you care?" she hastily managed to croak out in an accusing manner.

"So ignorant..." The figure lifted his head, revealing an eye with enough strangeness to match his voice. He saw how tense the young female Uchiha became when he pulled out a black case from the depths of his robes. "You'll never find out what your dear father is hiding if you only look at a few mission logs. I can show you what you so desperately desire to know..."

Sarada's breath came out shakily and uneven. She couldn't help but stare into the stranger's yellow eye, the dark slit staring ominously back into her onyx one. Being under its gaze made her feel defenseless, all the confidence she had felt a moment ago draining out of her frozen body. "W-What's in it for you?" she asked hesitantly. After all, there must've been a catch. There was always a catch. Why in the world would the cloaked male be offering to give her information without something in return?

He let out another creepy laugh. Sarada wished the figure would leave soon just so she wouldn't have to hear anymore of his laughing or talking. "I'll receive my part just by you taking this case," the man answered, his face still hidden from view except for the yellow right eye. The figure perceived that he wasn't being persuasive enough by the skeptical expression resting on her features. His agitation and anxiety began to increase. If the young Uchiha did not take the case in his hand, then the chances that his grand plan would fall to pieces were very high. On the other hand, he could just explain the truth himself, but what was the likelihood of her believing some random stranger's word, especially one that was cloaked? There was also the problem of time to think about. _"I can't have my identity being revealed just yet. Everything must go as planned if I'm going to succeed. That means no one must know exactly who has infiltrated Konoha and how right now. That won't really matter once things are put into motion."_ The methods he usually resorted to while carrying out one of his plans differed greatly from the one he was putting into motion now. It was interesting, attempting new methods, but at the same time this part of the plan served to annoy him greatly. This method made him feel weak in a sense, because most past plans involved immediate action, while this required intense patience and resolve. Of course, he could easily pull it off, under normal circumstances that is. This case was anything but the usual, leaving him to struggle with holding back.

Sarada shifted uncomfortably, slowly and carefully arranging her body into a position where she could make a break for it. The girl's hopes that the cloaked man would not notice came to a grinding halt when his visible eye suddenly shifted back to her crouched form.

"Hm... Well, if you want to know what your father truly is, then just take a look inside this," he said, tossing the black case halfway between himself and the kunoichi. He had decided that instead of attempting to be persuasive, he'd just force the matter onto the girl instead. Normally he managed to persuade nearly anyone to do anything for him, and he was quite positive that, if given the time, Uchiha Sarada could've been persuaded to take the case without even the slightest hesitation. But impatience was getting the best of him. He'd waited many years for this, thoughtfully planning and taking into account any interferences, and he was tired of waiting as the anxious feelings increased day after day. _"Oh Sasuke-kun, how devastated you will be once your innocent child knows the truth..."_

Sarada eyed the motionless black case suspiciously, at first having no intent to take it. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about the object. What if that case actually was the key to finding out the truth to Uchiha Sasuke though? She would've contemplated more on whether or not to snatch the black case if it weren't for the man taking a dangerous step forward, causing Sarada to pause once more.

"Believe me, dear child, I would love to stay and talk, but I must be going now. Keep in mind what I've told you." He pointed towards the object laying in the grass. "All knowledge you desire to obtain about your father is in that case. But," he added, "if you're still unsure, then maybe this will fully convince you."

Sarada felt as if her heart stopped for a fleeting moment when her eyes once again met the golden orb showing from under the figure's hood. A strange sensation engulfed her body, which began to topple over. The Uchiha's vision started to go dark, the last thing she saw before falling unconscious being the black case.

"Sweet dreams Sarada-chan," he said aloud. _"I wonder, how much power do you hold in that little body of yours? What type of powers have you yet to discover? Exactly how strong can you get?"_ The questions raced across his mind, making the man's anxiety rise to new levels. " _Patience, patience. You'll know soon enough..."_

* * *

"No Sakura, I'm not wearing that useless thing," Sasuke argued, scoffing at the material in his wife's hands.

"Sasuke-kun I'm not merely suggesting you wear it to make a fashion statement, it's to rest your arm!" Sakura replied, holding out the arm sling for her stubborn husband to take.

"I'm fine," he countered, shoving the sling away.

Sakura narrowed her eyes before leaning over Sasuke's hospital bed to grab his left shoulder, emitting a grunt of pain from the injured male. "I think I misheard you," the pink-haired woman bit back with a sarcastic comment. "If you want to get better quicker then you're going to wear this sling."

Sasuke uttered a string of curses prior to sitting up in order for Sakura to help him put the arm sling on. "Where's Sarada?" he questioned after finishing his short rant.

The pink-haired medic carefully lifted his arm and set it so that it rested soundly in the arm sling before answering her husband. "She's at Boruto's house. I figure she'll be safe with Hinata and Naruto close by. I'd love to see that intruder attempt anything against the two of them."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in response. He'd much rather their daughter be at the hospital so they could keep an eye on her, or at least he could since Sakura would eventually have to tend to other patients during the course of the day. Although, the male Uchiha was perfectly fine with Sarada being under the Uzumakis' watch, especially since the pair was free of injuries, unlike himself. Sasuke parted his lips in order to ask his wife about the wound when the door burst open.

"Hey-o Uchihas!" the Nanadaime Hokage greeted upon entering as the large heavy door smacked against the white hospital wall, a gigantic smile plastered to his lips. An ANBU member with a pen and paper followed the Hokage.

Sasuke narrowed his mismatched eyes in irritation as Sakura finished helping him adjust the arm sling. "What do you want Naruto?" he spat out coldly.

"Not to check on you!" the Hokage spat back harshly, Sasuke's response being an eye roll. "I came to update you on the situation and get your story of what happened thank you very much."

"Hn," the male Uchiha grunted. "Sakura told me you questioned Boruto and Mitsuki after the incident. What were their accounts?"

Naruto put a hand under his chin in thought, attempting to recall everything the two boys had mentioned when they described yesterday's attack. "They both said pretty much the same thing, a few minor differences here and there, but that's expected. Both said that themselves and Sarada were preparing for the team exercise you were about to give them, and that they were blindfolded for it. Then while Boruto and Sarada were arguing, they heard a whizzing sound, which turned out to be a kunai with an explosive tag attached. You shielded them, ran after the cloaked dude that attacked, they followed, and when they got there an ANBU medic was next to you, who was injured," Naruto explained with a shortened version.

"They never saw me being attacked," Sasuke stated more to himself than anyone else. He peered at his injured arm now resting in the sling, then turned his attention to Naruto. "The intruder was definitely male. I'm not sure what type of jutsu he was using, or if it was jutsu at all, when this happened," he explained while gesturing towards his wounded body part. "I remember him throwing something down that altered my senses. He had a tight grip on my wrist at the time, and then all of a sudden my arm felt like it was going to explode. Especially here," Sasuke explained, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It just randomly started hurting?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm more than positive he had to have contact with my body in order for anything to occur, and he held my left wrist," the Uchiha elaborated. "There's something else. The man's right eye started to glow just prior to when I felt the pain coursing through my body."

"Glow?" Naruto whispered in thought.

"It was a reddish color. And it was in some sort of shape or pattern," Sasuke further explained while staring at the wall opposite him. The male Uchiha racked his brains trying to remember the shape of the glowing tattoo or mark. At the time, it'd been hard to decipher exactly what the pattern was because of the blinding flash that had altered his visual prowess. "It seemed to be in the shape of a jagged 'S'," Sasuke finally decided, tracing the ideal shape over his own visible eye.

The Hokage released a frustrated sigh after listening to Sasuke's account of the incident. "Heck if I have a clue what any of that stuff means. Are you sure there's nothing else we can use to identify whoever the cloaked dude was?"

Sasuke pondered for a moment longer, replaying the events of the intrusion in his head in order to make sure he hadn't missed any of the details. "None that I personally can think of," the stoic male answered. "What about the ANBU witnesses?"

Naruto cocked his head towards the ANBU member who had been scribbling down notes throughout the males' conversation. "Asuna?" the Hokage beckoned, referring to the ANBU member with her standard code name.

The woman with the hawk mask flipped through the pages in her notepad until she found one with small writing filling the entirety of the page. "Every member of the Black Ops present at the time of the event, including myself, retold practically identical stories of the occurrence. We were positioned far enough away so that we did not have eyes on you and your students or the perpetrator. But, we were constantly lying in wait for such an incident to happen, our main source of awareness being the ability to detect nearby chakra signatures. We sensed no abnormal signatures in the area at the time of the attack and no one reported seeing or hearing anything that would lead us to think another person was present."

"You never even detected a chakra signature from the intruder?" Sasuke questioned with an edge of bewilderment and slight irritation. "I'd expect for an ANBU member, and multiple ones in this case, to be able to bypass a simple jutsu that hides a chakra signature," he said spitefully.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed at his rude comment.

"If he didn't possess chakra, then how did this happen?" he asked with a quick gesture to his injury. "That was no taijutsu he used on me to make this happen," Sasuke added in a disgusted tone.

"I apologize Uchiha-sama, but I can only pass on the information I myself and the other ANBU members gathered from our own perspectives," the woman with the hawk mask replied calmly, unfazed.

Before the restless male Uchiha could respond with another cold retort, Sakura forcefully interrupted, saying, "About the injury itself." The other three people in the room shifted their attention to the medic.

Sakura traveled to the left side of Sasuke's hospital bed in order to gain better access for her demonstration. Upon reaching the man's other side, she gently gripped his injured arm with one hand while using the other to trace a path from Sasuke's fingertips to his shoulder as she spoke. "There was no external damage whatsoever."

Naruto was visibly shocked by Sakura's claim. Sasuke quirked his eyebrow slightly, showing his mild surprise and intrigue.

"When I first looked at the spot where the damage was done, for a moment I thought I was being pranked or something," Sakura admitted. "But the children's faces were serious and almost seemed desperate. I took a closer examination and found that the points in your chakra network from here to here," she indicated the entirety of his arm and a section of his shoulder, "were..."

"Were what?" Naruto questioned as Sakura stopped and seemed to be thinking deeply.

"I'm not really sure how to say it," she admitted. "It's almost as if they were... burned."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at the experienced medic's words. "Burned?"

"I say that because the inside of your body, around this area," she lightly placed a hand on his injured shoulder, "was burned."

Naruto failed to suppress his untimely gasp of shock. Even the female ANBU member silently standing next to the Hokage visibly stiffened at Sakura's words. "The inside of his body was burned... but there was no exterior damage that indicated it?" the Nanadaime asked in wonder. He continued to hit the medic with a barrage of questions about the peculiar attack and injury, all the while with Sasuke listening and staring at the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Slow down!" Sakura exclaimed towards the blond in frustration as Naruto bombarded her with questions. "I'm trying to think of a way to explain it." She massaged both her temples while closing her emerald orbs in thought. It was hard to put what she was attempting to communicate into words, as the injury was such a strange one. Not to mention, the main thought that currently plagued her troubled mind refused to subside. Immediately after completing the process of healing her husband, Sakura had gone over the process in her head multiple times, the realization of what could have very possibly occurred scaring her just a little more each time. Taking a slow, controlled breath, Sakura began to voice her frightening thoughts aloud. "It's all confusing, but one thing I did understand about the 'burning' quite well is..."

Sasuke shifted his head in her direction at the pause. Why did his wife sound so... shaken? He felt fine now except for a little pain in his shoulder area. What could possibly have been worrying her about a little battle injury like this?

"If the path of the 'burning' had gone any further... it could have easily made contact with his heart and..." Sakura cut off shakily, turning her gaze to the large, white room door.

Naruto put a hand atop his head and with scrunched facial features made an effort to process the medic's information. "Wait... what?! You're saying Sasuke could have... died?! Just like that?" he questioned in absolute bewilderment. "What the heck is the dude who attacked him?" he asked more to himself more than anyone else. The idea that some random shinobi could've just eliminated someone as strong as Sasuke in a split second shook him to the very core. Another thought popped into his head after the initial realization. "Hold on, if what you're saying is right, then why didn't he just kill Sasuke right then and there?"

"Assuming the intruder can control exactly where the path of the attack goes, I don't know why he didn't do it," Sakura answered with her eyes still directed towards Sasuke's hospital door.

"A message," Sasuke suddenly said while sounding indifferent, his thoughts immersed entirely on Sakura's statement. He had been only a second away from death in that moment. He couldn't imagine leaving this life yet, leaving Sakura and... _"Sarada..."_ Sasuke hadn't seen his daughter since the attack, or any of the children for that matter.

"Message?" the Hokage said, breaking the male Uchiha out of his pondering.

"He told me he was sending a message," Sasuke answered shortly. Then he remembered Naruto's reasoning for visiting him in the hospital and began to retell every event that took place from the time he explained the team exercise to the moment he blacked out, vividly reciting each detail with the hope that one of the other three people present in the room could decipher or ask a question he himself hadn't already thought of in order to acquire more information on the attacker.

As the female ANBU member finished scribbling down notes of Sasuke's account, Naruto released a frustrated sigh. "So we don't know who his master, or allegiance belongs to?"

"No, sir," the ANBU member answered, shutting the notebook and cocking her head in the Hokage's direction.

Another frustrated sigh left the Uzumaki's lips. "Well, earlier today we had that criminal lineup I've been planning. But of course, it was absolutely no help. No one was even remotely close to what we were looking for, in motive or criminal skill. So, as I expected, I'm ninety-nine percent sure that that these two cases are connected and that everyone involved is still on the loose. Sasuke," he began slowly with a worried yet intense look in his blue eyes, "do you remember what we talked about...?"

"Yeah," the Uchiha answered gravely, breaking his shocked silence. It was almost unthinkable really, that the person he thought he'd put an end to might actually be back. No, the possibility that he'd never truly annihilated the threat that man posed hit a nerve deep inside him. What would happen now?

"If it's true," Naruto started with the same grave tone as Sasuke, "then we'll need to take precautions." He opened his mouth to continue, but a knock on the door interrupted the Nanadaime.

Sakura was shaken out of her worried trance and gave a questioning look to Naruto, who nodded once to give his okay. She then rushed to the door and reached for the large handle, turning it and giving entrance to the newcomer.

"Ah, Hokage-sama!" greeted a stocky male ANBU member, a bear mask shielding his face. He bowed to the Hokage and then to the pink-haired medic next to the door. "Sakura-sama." Once more he shifted his body, this time towards Sasuke and gave a respectful bow. "Uchiha-sama, feeling better?"

"Ah," Sasuke acknowledged. "More or less."

"That's good to hear," the ANBU member returned awkwardly. "Anyway, you sent for me Hokage-sama?"

"Oh yeah! Nearly forgot all about that!" Naruto chuckled, his mood making a complete shift. "I have an assignment for you. With everything happening recently, and new discoveries," the Hokage added, "I want you to be the main shinobi guarding the Uchiha household."

"Hm?" Sakura piped up. "But-"

"He won't actually be inside the house, just stationed in cover outside, along with other ANBU members," Naruto interrupted.

"Hah, and what makes you think the outcome might be any different than yesterday," Sasuke scoffed. "If I remember correctly, I believe it was said that none of the ANBU members sensed the intruder that attacked my team and I." The male Uchiha despised the idea of having random ninjas stalking outside his house and watching it all day, especially if they were incompetent and inadequate at doing their jobs. He didn't take lightly to the elites of the village making a simple mess up similar to the day prior.

Before either of the masked ANBU members could speak up to defend their division, the Hokage engaged Sasuke in an argument about how it was his responsibility to protect the villagers inside their borders while Sasuke continued to pry at the effectiveness of the ANBU.

Meanwhile, Sakura became distracted by her own troubling thoughts once more, shutting out the two males' bickering voices whilst pondering at the situation. No matter how hard she attempted to set her mind on the positives of the situation or throw it away from her head entirely, the kunoichi couldn't stop shuddering at the thought of this new enemy. Sasuke, one of the strongest shinobis in the world, could have been dead just like that. She would've been without a husband and her daughter without a father in a split second. The thought shook her to the very core. Just how powerful was this person and who was he? The more pressing question, _what_ was he?

* * *

Sarada jumped as her consciousness finally returned, jerking her head in every direction in search of the strange cloaked figure who had come for a visit in the forest.

Suddenly, the young Uchiha gasped and froze in the middle of switching to a sitting position. She was shocked to learn that her surroundings were no longer that of luscious green trees, bushes, and grass. Instead, Sarada sat in the middle of a dimly lit, damp, and rocky room. The girl shakily got to her feet, rubbing clammy hands against her arms in an attempt to provide some warmth in the cold dungeon-like space. The young kunoichi caught sight of iron bars as she pushed herself up to stand, an open iron-barred door to match the set attached to it.

Taking a slight step back, the sound of clanking metal startled the confused girl. Sarada turned and peered downward to see the small glint of light from the room's single torch shining on a pair of broken shackles. Another gasp escaped her throat as she turned once again to face the gaping door, her obsidian orbs meeting the brutal scene of a bloody and beaten figure lying against the freezing stone wall. On instinct, the girl rushed to the man's side and pressed her fingers against his neck. She found no pulse but the male's body still seemed somewhat warm. That meant he hadn't been dead for long.

A terrified scream followed by a loud bang sounded from outside the door, causing Sarada to jolt away from the dead person's body. The sound occurred from further away than just right outside the prison-like door; however, it was still loud enough to send a chill down the frightened Genin's spine.

Another sound, a name she guessed by the addition of the honorific "-kun" she caught at the end, snatched her attention. The faint yell occurred again, yet she couldn't pick out the actual name. What she could decipher was that a girl was the one shouting the name, probably one around her own age. More screaming erupted from the area, this time a mix between the distant calling of the unknown name and also more yells from beyond the iron door.

Sarada took a deep breath before forcing her feet to move in the direction of the open door. There was no other way to travel besides in front of her, so the girl decided that maybe she could try and find an exit. There was no way she was staying here in this spooky dungeon, but the continued sounds of horror from further away deterred the girl from being very confident.

After a few minutes of clinging to the damp stone wall and creeping along with the guide of the faint light the torches provided, Sarada noticed a change in the unclear noises. This time she heard a young male's screams, but instead of fear, they were of pain. The Uchiha stopped in her tracks in order to listen closer when the voice changed once more. Sarada was lucky to be quite perceptive at her age or otherwise she wouldn't have been able to catch the shifts between different voices, or even the voices at all.

She didn't realize how focused she'd become on the vague voices until flashes of blue light appearing from around the slowly approaching corner finally awakened her senses to what was happening in reality. Sarada forgot all about deciphering the distant words as fear continued to increase inside her body, causing the girl to breathe in harsh, shallow pants.

Sarada reached the corner to the next hallway just when a gruesome crunching noise along with a cry of great agony met her ears. The next thing she knew, a body flew threw the air and smashed into the wall opposite of where she stood propped up against the other freezing rock wall. The blue light continued to illuminate the dark hallway, letting the Uchiha see the true extent to how horrifying her current situation was. From the brighter flashes of light she picked out more bodies sticking out from around the corner as well as in the direction she came from, the sight and scent of blood filling her senses. The battered male on the verge of death began to cough and groan in pain, the life he still possessed slowly fading from his body. Placing a hand on the wall, he attempted to move away from the attacker in vain.

Sarada contemplated the idea of pulling him aside herself and giving him a bigger chance at survival. Before she could decide, the blue light shifted to a blazing red and fire erupted into the space where she and the male were located. The young shinobi rolled out of the way just in time, the blast of flames only just grazing her forearm. She immediately looked away and covered her ears, knowing exactly what horrible thing was occurring with the man lying against the wall. When the feeling of heat hitting her body passed, the alert Uchiha slowly lifted herself off the ground again and removed her trembling hands from her ears. Silently, the Uchiha cursed herself for feeling so much fear. There was no other way to run except for back to the cell, a dead end basically, and take on the mysterious attacker or attempt to run past him quickly.

Sarada faintly heard the unknown attacker's panting from beyond the corner and could infer that the person seemed quite tired, like they'd used most of their strength and chakra. _"I think my only choice is take them on, whoever it is. But, can I really win...? Of course I can! I'm an Uchiha after all!"_ she argued in her head.

Taking a final deep breath, Sarada pushed off the wall and around the corner to face her new opponent. Her stance faltered for a fleeting moment when she noticed the person, a male. He stood facing the other way with a hand on the wall for support, his shirt off and hanging from its position tucked into his pants. What shocked the girl the most was the view of gigantic wings attached to his back slowly retracting back into his body. Along with the disappearing wings came burning red marks scattered across his torso that were also being drawn into a central area of his body, up towards his neck. A sharp breath escaped from Sarada's mouth at the scene, causing every muscle in her being to freeze.

The person also froze at the sound, his breathing finally settling down. An intense wave of fear crossed the young Uchiha once more as he slowly began to twist his head in her direction. The first thing Sarada saw when the male's dangerous eyes met hers was the color red.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Part one's conclusion will come soon. I appreciate the people who sent private messages checking up on me during my long hiatus and I want everyone to know that I will always answer or respond to any questions you message me about. Just when I thought I could finally get back into writing last year, school hit and this has been one of the most stressful years of my life. I've been in a very rough place recently and it's been very stressful, but I know you're all tired of me apologizing for the long waits. I'll try to get the next chapter done as quickly as possible but I don't want to rush it and update with trash, so I'll also try to write and edit mindfully. I want to make it better than this one turned out. Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for your patience and support once again!


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